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Drew Barrymore, Welcome to the Fight Club!
Blu-Ray release of cult classic includes gag menu by director David Fincher
It's a cute/cuddly Drew Barrymore, with LOTS of pink lipstick all over the menu . . . for her 1999 film, Never Been Kissed.
It's no error; the real menu pops up after a few seconds. Fincher himself orchestrated the prank. Read more about it here.
'Fireproof' Filmmakers Announce Next Movie
'Courageous' about fathers 'rising with courage.' Plus other religious movie news.
At Sunday's service, filmmakers Alex and Steven Kendrick announced that the next film will be called Courageous. Production will begin in March; no release date has been announced.
“The movie is about fatherhood,” Alex Kendrick said at the announcement.
Keep reading for further details about the film . . .
Continue reading "'Fireproof' Filmmakers Announce Next Movie" »
'Your lies and tactics are odious to me'
So said Anne Rice to a producer who was supposed to turn her Jesus story into a movie
Turns out he was wrong. GNH never really got off the ground, and then Kirkpatrick--who had been an exec at Disney, Touchstone, and Paramount--announced he was taking the company to Massachusetts and changing the name to Plymouth Rock Studios. Turns out he was wrong again.
In a recent in-depth story, The Boston Globe reports that Kirkpatrick and the venture never had any legitimate financial backing.
Rice, the former vampire novel writer who became a Christian some time ago, had agreed to let GNH turn Out of Egypt into a film, but withdrew that offer when she never got paid. The Globe obtained a stinging e-mail that Rice sent to Kirkpatrick, voicing her concerns and her disgust with the way he had handled things.
In the 4-page document, Rice tells Kirkpatrick, "You were not paying me as you had agreed to do, and you did not have the funds to make good on your promises, and you did not have the funds to make a film. . . . At no time did you reveal to me that you were having financial problems." Late, after noting her disappointment that Kirkpatrick had threatened legal action to get Rice to cooperate, she writes, "David, you broke my heart" and "Your lies and tactics are odious to me." She notes that she will never relinquish the book's rights to Kirkpatrick.
The Globe story is fascinating, essentially exposing a man for grand promises that he had no means to fulfill, regardless of his optimism, passion, and ambition. But the bottom line is that he had no bottom line, and that is the main reason the studio still essentially is only a thought.
Check out the newspaper's 7-minute video on the situation:
'Hollywood picking on us Christians'
So says one blogger about 2012; another says the director lacks, er, gumption (sort of).
What you don't see getting smashed to smithereens are any Islamic holy places -- and that has at least a couple of bloggers mad.
Calling director Emmerich a "coward," a blogger for The American Catholic writes, "This is just another example of Hollywood picking on us Christians. 'Us' Christians call this behavior bigotry in the form of Christophobia. More commonly known as anti-Christian or more specifically anti-Catholicism in the case of this film." The blogger goes on to note that Emmerich was concerned about having a fatwa (essentially a Muslim death threat) on his head.
Meanwhile, at Big Hollywood, Greg Gutfield writes, "Where are Roland Emmerich’s balls?" He notes that Emmerich had said "he hoped to destroy the Kaaba, an Islamic holy site, but his fellow screenwriter Harald Kloser persuaded him not to" -- again, out of the fear of fatwa. Gutfield writes: "Hollywood screws with Christians because Christians don’t behead people. But tweak Islam, and you could end up like director Theo van Gogh – dead on a street with a flag impaled on your chest. Roland picks the safe target because he’d rather live . . . [This] proves that Roland has the gonads of a shrimp."
As for Emmerich, here's his explanation, in his words, for not destroying anything Islamic: "We have to all, in the western world, think about this. You can actually let Christian symbols fall apart, but if you would do this with [an] Arab symbol, you would have ... a fatwa. So it's just something which I kind of didn't [think] was [an] important element, anyway, in the film, so I kind of left it out."
Here's the latest trailer:
Megachurches Get a Movie!
Also: 'Friends for Life' lauded; 'Love Comes' in a boxed set; and capitalism saves the planet
That's exactly what Morgan Mead, a young Christian filmmaker from Indiana, wanted to know. Why are there so many megachurches, what's the phenomena all about, and just what is their role in American Christendom? Mead pursues answers to these questions, and more, in The Alpha and the Mega, now available on DVD.
In a recent interview, Mead explained why he decided to look into the megachurch mythos . . .
LOTR Producer to Make Biopic on Muhammad
Barry Osborne, who produced The Lord of the Rings films, wants to 'bridge cultures'
The producer who brought us messiah types in The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings films now plans to make a major film about the prophet Muhammad, London's Guardian reports.
Osborne says the $150 million biopic will be "an international epic production aimed at bridging cultures. The film will educate people about the true meaning of Islam."
Qatar-based Alnoor Holdings is footing the bill for the film, to begin shooting in the first quarter of 2011, said Raja Sharif, Alnoor's vice-president for international affairs. Sharif also said the movie will respect Islamic traditions forbidding images of the prophet, so Muhammad himself "will not appear," Sharif said.
According to Islam Online, Ahmed Abdullah Al-Mustafa, chairman of Alnoor Holdings, told the Doha-based Al-Jazeera television that the film "will highlight the humanity of Prophet Muhammad.”
Big Hollywood blogger John Nolte isn't all too thrilled with the news, saying this about the film's respect for Islam by not picturing Muhammad: "If only such respect was extended to every major religion. Which isn’t to say religion, including Christianity, is above satire, but what we have here is another example of the mindset of those who control the most powerful propaganda machine ever created. Think about it: The Passion remains one of the most profitable films ever and yet an industry frequently ridiculed for reproducing ad nauseum anything resembling a hit will have none of it."
Nolte's post prompted this retort from LA Times blogger Patrick Goldstein: "The news has aroused a storm of derision from conservative bloggers, who always find a way to be offended by any high-minded Hollywood project."
Stay tuned.
'Wings of Desire' Hits Criterion Collection
Wim Wenders' artful masterpiece gets Criterion's royal treatment in a new release
Anybody who knows Jeffrey, who had to step away from CT Movies a few months ago, knows that he can gush for hours about Wings and its brilliant director, Wim Wenders. You can read some of Jeffrey's thoughts in a Filmmakers of Faith piece he wrote about Wenders here, and his more recent thoughts on the new version here. (Re: that last link to Filmwell -- some fabulous stuff at that site, very thoughtful commentaries and reviews on film. I encourage you to check it out.)
Criterion has posted a few interesting pieces about the film too, including a commentary by Wenders himself, and musings by Michael Atkinson. They've also posted the original trailer from the film (caution: brief nudity).
The special edition of the movie includes a new, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by Wenders; audio commentary featuring Wenders and actor Peter Falk; The Angels Among Us (2003), a documentary featuring interviews with Wenders, Falk, actors Bruno Ganz and Otto Sander, writer Peter Handke, and composer Jürgen Knieper; deleted scenes and outtakes; and much more.
Law & Order Takes On TV's "Most Persistent Taboo"
Surprisingly sensitive portrayals of pro-life views . . . on network TV?
You may be surprised at what many prominent women’s groups are protesting as “anti-choice propaganda.” It’s not a new book, or a graphic display; it’s a recent episode of NBC’s Friday night staple, Law & Order.
The show, which often rips its story straight from the headlines, recently aired an episode clearly based on the murder of late-term abortion provider George Tiller. The episode, titled “Dignity,” offered sensitive portrayals of pro-life views that result in two characters who originally take the pro-choice side to reconsider their views.
For one character, a police detective, it is the revelation that his partner was born two months prematurely after his mother tried to end the pregnancy that forces him to think differently about the subject. For another, ADA Connie Rubarosa, it is the testimony of a nurse who witnessed and assisted in late-term abortions and ultimately left the practice. After hearing the nurse’s graphic description of a botched abortion that resulted in a post-delivery murder of the newborn child, she says, “I grew up thinking Roe v. Wade was gospel and that a woman’s privacy was inviolate. But after hearing that woman on the stand, talking about her baby dying in her arms, I don’t know. I don’t know where my privacy ends and another being’s dignity begins. On one side they’re talking about abortion never, and on the other side it’s abortion whenever, meanwhile the rest of us are just stuck in the middle trying to figure it out.”
After her partner asks her to “do her job” and “put the bad guys in jail,” Rubarosa's response is quite stunning, considering her point-of-view just hours before:
Continue reading "Law & Order Takes On TV's "Most Persistent Taboo"" »
Forgive Someone Who Murdered Your Family?
Yes, it's possible. And it's happening all over Rwanda, as shown in upcoming documentary.
When I met Marc & Felicita, they shared beers and laughter over lunch while telling me their amazing story of how hatred and murder had transformed into forgiveness and reconciliation -- and how they're now sharing their story with others throughout Rwanda, riding a bike together (see picture) from village to village with their incredible true tale.
You'll be able to see their story soon on a new documentary, Wounded Healers, which premieres Dec. 3 at the Seattle International Film Festival. It's a production of Rwanda Partners, which was very helpful in assisting me in my reporting in Rwanda, and introducing me to Marc and Felicita and their incredible story.
I can't wait to see this documentary. Watch the trailer here. And while you're waiting for this film to arrive, be sure to check out another great documentary about reconciliation in Rwanda, As We Forgive.
Wanna Be a Movie Producer? Now You Can!
Marchiano seeks 4.5 million 'producers' for Jesus movie . . . and other Christian film news.
For years, Marchiano has wanted to do something similar with the Gospel of John -- a word-for-word adaptation of the book to the big screen. Finding deep-pocketed investors, however, has been another story. So Marchiano has recently changed his strategy: He's now calling the hoped-for film Jesus . . . No Greater Love, still a verbatim adaptation. But how's he going to pay for it? That's where you come into the picture . . .
Continue reading "Wanna Be a Movie Producer? Now You Can!" »
'Letters to God' Gets a Date, Distributor
Directed by Fireproof's David Nixon, film to hit about 800 theaters in March
The film, based on the true story of a 9-year-old boy with cancer who writes his prayer letters to God, was recently picked up by Vivendi Entertainment for U.S. distribution. The movie will open in about 800 theaters on March 12.
Vivendi's Mark Kristol told Variety that Letters can tap into the same market as Fireproof, the Sherwood Productions feature that grossed $33 million for Samuel Goldwyn last fall, after being made for a mere $500,000.
See the Letters to God trailer below:
OMG!
A new documentary ponders the nature of God
The new documentary Oh My God, due out next month, interviews men and women from all walks of life, from atheists to devout believers of a myriad of faiths, in an attempt to get to the bottom of the age old question, "What is God?" Director Peter Rodgers, frustrated over how God is increasingly politicized in our culture, spent more than two years making the film in a journey that crisscrossed 23 different countries.
'Love Boat' Captain Finds Reel Love
Gavin MacLeod (aka Captain Stubing) finds Jesus, stars in new film -- and other tidbits of interest
These days, Stubing -- er, actor Gavin MacLeod -- is making family-friendly movies with Christian themes, including The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry, now showing in limited theaters. Set in 1970, it's a story about a young boy who befriends an old man.
> The Great Reverse is a compelling documentary about nine students who take a months-long missions trip to West Africa, experiencing culture shock and God's grace along the road. It's worth watching for anyone considering a short-term missions trip. The soundtrack features artists as diverse as MercyMe, Seabird, Sara Groves, Jars of Clay, Sleeping At Last, Jon Foreman, Lori Chaffer and more.
> The Fabric of Time, a docudrama which examines physical evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is being re-mastered in 3-D by Grizzly Adams, gearing up for an April 2010 release. The European release is timed to coincide with the first public viewing in more than a decade of the Shroud of Turin, believed by millions of Christians to be the burial cloth of Jesus.
'The Ten Commandments' to be remade as "300"?!
Fox also to add info not from the Bible, but from Rabbinical Midrash and other historical sources
Variety is reporting that 20th Century Fox is remaking Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments!
Sorta.
But wait, it gets weirder...
Continue reading "'The Ten Commandments' to be remade as "300"?!" »
'The Great Divorce' to Get Movie Treatment
Film rights to C. S. Lewis's classic fantasy secured by Beloved Pictures
Such is the creative depiction of heaven by C. S. Lewis in The Great Divorce--great fodder for a filmmaker with a rich imagination and a love for the work. And now it appears that the story has found just that.
The Great Divorce tells the story of one man's journey--on a bus!--from the post-apocalyptic wasteland of a grey town to the outskirts of heaven.
"We are tremendously excited to bring one of Lewis's most profound stories to the screen," said Beloved Pictures CEO Michael Ludlum. "We believe that this story, much like the Chronicles of Narnia, will resonate with a global audience."
Beloved is currently seeking investors for the film, which may begin filming sometime in 2010. A release date has not yet been determined.
Terrible Yellow Eyes!
Website, artists celebrate Sendak and 'Where the Wild Things Are'
Cory Godbey is one of them. A professional animator and illustrator in Greenville, S.C., Godbey launched TerribleYellowEyes.com, what is being called "a curatorial online project and ongoing blog with original works honoring Maurice Sendak."
If you like Sendak's art, you'll love this website, which features work from over 100 artists from around the world. And if you, like me, can't wait for this movie, spending a little time at TerribleYellowEyes will help to tide you over till the wild rumpus starts.
Now He's REALLY Informed!
Marc Whitacre, Matt Damon's character in 'The Informant!', found Jesus in jail
Marc Whitacre, the title character, apparently found Jesus (or the other way around) while doing a prison term for embezzling millions from his former employer.
WORLD magazine has an interview with Whitacre here.
Darwin Film: Not Showing in a Theater Near You?
As Mark indicated last week, things are beginning to heat up around the Darwin biopic, Creation, in which a young Charles Darwin (played by Paul Bettany) struggles between faith and reason, particularly after the loss of a cherished daughter. In his post, Mark discussed Roger Ebert’s reaction to people who walked out of the film, possibly for theological reasons.
What the piece didn’t mention is that Creation may not be seen in a theater near you.
Continue reading "Darwin Film: Not Showing in a Theater Near You?" »
Ben-Hur's Roots in . . . Indiana??
As the classic film turns 50, writer's home state remembers him
And while one Indianapolis journalist remembers the writer, Indiana native Lew Wallace, in a quiet way, the O2 in London remembers the story in a bit louder fashion with an extravagant stage show that its promoter calls "an opera for God."
Watch the teaser video for the production below, and learn more about it at the official site.
Fallen Angel Finds a Home
Documentary about Larry Norman to hit theaters, festivals in 2010
The company, Abramorama, most recently distributed Anvil: The Story of Anvil, which received high critical marks.
Critical response to Fallen Angel is somewhat lacking, except for a few things that had been written about earlier versions of the film -- which I saw about a year ago. DiSabatino took some of those early criticisms to heart and apparently has done some heavy editing on the film, and says the new version has a much different vibe than the original. (The first version -- available here -- was a choppy and a bit too dark, though there were certainly some dark sides of Norman that had to be explored. DiSabatino says the edited version is lighter, but doesn't gloss over Norman's problems, many of which he brought on himself.)
DiSabatino also reports that "the legal wranglings that went on behind the scene are over and we have prevailed. For those of you that do not know, after the Cinequest festival [where Fallen Angel screened in March] we were threatened with a copyright infringement lawsuit by the Norman family. We responded by petitioning the courts to judge whether we had fairly and legally used the materials in the film. We prevailed in the case and found out that much of what was contested wasn't even owned by those protesting."
CT Movies plans more coverage, including a review, of the film in the months ahead, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, learn more about Fallen Angel at the official site, and watch the trailer here:
Things That Caught My Eye This Week
What do John Wayne, aliens, hobbits and Japanese anime have in common? They all caught my eye this week...
MPAA Change a Concern to Parents
My colleague and dear friend Nell Minow of Beliefnet.com, wrote a story in today’s Chicago SunTimes about a policy change at the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) that many parents will want to be aware of, all the more so because that change has gone unannounced and unrecognized…until now.
Rob Zombie to remake Christian movie!!
And the Christian connections don't end there! The original movie spawned a sequel, 1972's Beware! The Blob, which featured Larry Norman and Randy Stonehill in bit parts. And the movie has been remade once before, by director Chuck Russell (The Mask, The Scorpion King), in 1988; and while I don't know anything about Russell's own religious persuasions, I do know that he was attached to direct the film version of Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness in the late 1990s, until 20th Century Fox pulled the plug on that project.
I certainly wouldn't expect Rob Zombie's version of The Blob, which will reportedly be R-rated, to follow in the "wholesome horror film" mode of the original movie. (The 1988 version was R-rated, too.) And I wouldn't necessarily expect Rob Zombie's film to feature Christian musicians in bit parts or whatever, either. But you never know.
A Few Films of Note
News on flicks that could be of interest to a Christian audience
> Journey Films (Bonhoeffer, The Power of Forgiveness) has released Albert Schweitzer: Called to Africa , which it is billing as "the compelling story of a theologian, musician and philosopher who abandoned a life of fame and comfort in Europe at the age of 30 to dedicate his life to the medical care of Africans." (See the trailer here.)
> Sherwood Baptist (Fireproof, Facing the Giants) isn't the only church in the movie-making business. Others are also making their own films, including Bethesda Baptist Church of Brownsburg, IN, which recently released The Board to DVD. A press release says the film "captures the elements of life transforming films such as Chariots of Fire and Fireproof, telling the poignant story of how God speaks to each person’s soul. The Board explores the personal conflicts within, as represented by a board of directors, Mind, Emotion, Will, Memory, Conscience and Heart as it introduces difficult questions that lead to eternal consequences, exposing the board’s hypocritical foundation." (See the trailer here.)
> The Biblical Dinner, self-described as "a Last Supper documentary," is now available on DVD.
> Christian music star Rebecca St. James has been doing a bit of acting lately. She plays the lead role in a pro-life film called Sarah's Choice, slated to release in November from PureFlix. She also recently wrapped filming in the comedy Rising Stars, a take-off on American Idol.
> The second in the Nomad Reality Films series, The Great Reverse, will be available Sept. 15 through INO Records/Provident-Integrity. The film follows nine young missionaries in their travels through west Africa. The first in the series was a documentary on Christian musician Sara Groves.
Dungy Kicks off HS Football . . . in Theaters!
Former NFL coach presents a one-night special in theaters August 25
Tony Dungy, the former Super Bowl-winning coach of the Indianapolis Colts, loves high school football too, so he's helping America's 1.2 million players kick off the season with Tony Dungy's Red Zone '09, showing in theaters across the country for one night only -- Tuesday, August 25.
The live event, beamed via satellite into all those theaters, promises to "bring together some of the premier NFL players and coaches who will encourage high school players to step up their game. With highlights from NFL, college and high school games in HD on the 40 foot screen, this high impact setting puts everyone IN the game."
Dungy's RedZoneLive website adds that the event will "provide inspiration" and teach athletes to "play with passion and personal character development." What's just beneath the surface of those words is the fact that Dungy, one of the classiest coaches in NFL history, is a devout Christian who is serious about mentoring young men in character development, and always looking for opportunities to share his faith.
Watch the trailer:
Group Wants to End MPAA Ratings
Conservative 'Movieguide' launches petition to drop system and adopt another -- but what?
"The MPAA's ratings system never worked really well, but it has gotten much worse since it added the ambiguous PG-13 rating," said Movieguide founder Ted Baehr said. "Parents, especially mothers, can no longer trust the ratings for movies, especially in light of the PG-13 ratings for movies like THE LOVE GURU and LAND OF THE LOST, and the R ratings for pornographic movies like BRÜNO." (Just an aside here: Especially mothers. Huh? That's an insult to dads like me who care very much about teaching our children how to be discerning. Just the realm of "especially mothers"? Come on.)
Baehr claims that the MPAA ratings system is not "based on standards." Well, that's not exactly true . . .
Committed actor wrecks pastor's antique cabinet
In the film, Dancy plays a man with a form of autism called Asperger's syndrome, and in one scene he throws a fit that causes him to get a bit violent with the furniture -- and apparently Dancy got so carried away that he accidentally kicked his foot through an antique cabinet.
Writer-director Max Mayer tells WENN: "It was actually the pastor's apartment in the church on the Upper West Side (in Manhattan). That was awful because from my standpoint with our limited budget we were using somebody's house and I had pointed out to Hugh things that he could destroy and the things he couldn't, which included this antique cabinet, and he put his foot through it on the first take. I'm thinking, 'How much is that gonna cost? Can I cut a scene out tomorrow to make up for it?'"
Continue reading "Committed actor wrecks pastor's antique cabinet" »
Newsbites: The religious women edition!
Continue reading "Newsbites: The religious women edition!" »
Cliff Clavin, Hercules in Christian flick
John Ratzenberger, Kevin Sorbo in film made by Dallas and Jerry Jenkins
According to a press release, the movie, the sixth film from the father/son duo of Jerry and Dallas Jenkins, "tells the story of Ben Walker (Sorbo) who 15 years ago left the love of his life . . . and ignored his ministry calling in order to pursue a business opportunity. Now, as a high-powered investment banker with a trophy fiancée, he has little or no interest in faith or building a family.
What If ... is the first in a two-picture partnership between Jenkins Entertainment and Pure Flix Entertainment. Jenkins Entertainment is owned by New York Times bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins and operated by his son Dallas Jenkins.
Dem Bones
Trailer for Peter Jackson's 'The Lovely Bones' is a stunner
The film looks ripe for great discussion, based on the official synopsis: "The Lovely Bones centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal."
Between that and a sensational cast that includes Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, and the immensely talented Saoirse Ronan, who made such an auspicious debut in Atonement that she was nominated for an Academy Award.
Newsbites: The biblical spin-offs edition!
2. Universal Pictures, having scored a major international hit with the Abba-themed musical Mamma Mia! last year, is now developing a remake of Jesus Christ Superstar (1973). One director the studio has spoken to -- though they're not in active negotiations with anyone just yet -- is Marc Webb, whose credits include numerous music videos as well as the current indie hit (500) Days of Summer. -- Hollywood Reporter
Continue reading "Newsbites: The biblical spin-offs edition!" »
Most Easily Offended by Movies: Mormons
Jehovah's Witnesses second, evangelicals third, according to poll
Just recently, we posted a blog bit about the top "faith-offending" films. Now we've learned which faith group is most easily offended: Mormons.
According to a recent Religion News Service story, "Mormons are the faith group most likely to say Hollywood threatens their values, followed by Jehovah's Witnesses and evangelicals, according to a new study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life."
The story also noted that "more than two-thirds of Mormons (68%) rebuffed the entertainment industry, followed by 54% of Jehovah's Witnesses and 53% of evangelicals. Less than half (42%) of the general population said Hollywood threatens their values."
Newsbites: The children's literature edition!
1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader began principal photography yesterday ... and it sounds like the filmmakers may once again be adding more unnecessary peril and more gratuitous World War II footage to C.S. Lewis's story. The film's press release suggests that King Caspian and the others are embarking on their "entirely uncharted journey to Aslan's Country" in order to "save Narnia, and all the astonishing creatures in it, from an unfathomable fate." And last month, a casting agency was looking for actors to play English soldiers and nurses bidding farewell to each other. Somehow these bits don't jibe with my memory of the book.Continue reading "Newsbites: The children's literature edition!" »
Yet another Darwin drama in the works!
National Geographic Television, which is best known for producing documentaries, announced a few days ago that they have just finished principal photography on their first-ever dramatic production, a two-hour movie called Darwin's Darkest Hour that will air on the PBS series Nova October 6. Like Creation, the upcoming Jon Amiel film based on a book by one of Darwin's descendants, Darwin's Darkest Hour will focus on Darwin's relationships with his dying daughter and his devoutly Christian wife as he struggles to write his famous book.
Incidentally, Charles Darwin himself will be played in this film by Henry Ian Cusick, who is probably best known these days as one of the co-stars on Lost but previously got good notices for his performance as Jesus in The Visual Bible's adaptation of The Gospel of John. Darwin's wife Emma will be played by Frances O'Connor, who has starred in such films as Mansfield Park and A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
Archangels with machine guns at the end of the world
The actor has already played an albino assassin monk in The Da Vinci Code, a priest on the lam who joins a medieval morality-play troupe in The Reckoning, and a famous scientist who wrestles with his doubts in the upcoming biopic Creation, and he will soon star in the comic-book adaptation Priest as a man of the cloth who turns against the church to track down some vampires who have kidnapped his niece.
Right now, however, the religion-themed movie of his that's getting all the attention is Legion, in which Bettany will play the machine-gun-toting archangel Michael; director Scott Stewart appeared with co-stars Bettany, Tyrese Gibson and others at the San Diego Comic-Con to promote the film yesterday, and they unveiled a new poster for the film and a few clips, besides.
Continue reading "Archangels with machine guns at the end of the world" »
Nicky Cruz film update, and more
'Run Baby Run' slated for 2010, Emmy nod for 'Soldiers,' and more
Run Baby Run, with a $12 million budget, will be intended for mainstream audiences, not just Christians, David Urabe, president of Convolo Productions, told the Colorado Springs Gazette.
Cruz told The Gazette that it won't be a "cheesy" Christian movie.
> Soldiers of Conscience, a documentary about soldiers who are reluctant to shoot to kill (some because of their Christian faith), has been nominated for an Emmy. We wrote about the film last year.
> Cloud Ten Pictures, the studio that made all the Left Behind movies, announces it will be releasing the DVD version of The River Within in November. The press release says the film "explores relationships between father and son, pastor and congregant, and God and man; and broaches head-on the age-old human dilemma of discerning God's plan for each of us."
The Top Faith-Offending Films
LA Times includes 'Passion,' 'Da Vinci Code,' 'Golden Compass' on list
The Los Angeles Times recently put together a feature called "Faith-Offending Films," starting, interestingly, with Falling, the latest film from Richard Dutcher, the former Mormon who had already alienated LDS fans with edgier and edgier movies. (LDS Review refused to review Falling because of its R rating, prompting quite a spirited debate in its comments.)
Included in the Times list was The Passion of The Christ . But why?
Blue Like Effing Jazz?
The filmmakers behind 'Blue Like Jazz' ask: How much cussing is too much?
Writes Taylor on the BLJ website: "While the CussCount for Blue Like Jazz is lower than Al Pacino's shootout scene in Scarface, it is considerably higher than all the Pixar movies combined.
"For most of you reading this – No Big Deal. . . . [You] expect, in a movie like ours, to hear a certain number of ****s, ****s, ***es, and possibly even the judicious use of ******* when spoken solely as an adjective."
Taylor went on to write that his posting was an "olive branch" to fans who want the language "scrubbed," adding, "We're open to your suggestions. Really. Please post a reply with your favorite non-curse word or phrase, use it in a sentence, and we'll try out the best ones as alternate takes."
The Exorcist comes to Blu-Ray ... sort of.
If the original version of the film is left off the disc, then that would be a pity, since the revised version, despite a few improvements, is basically inferior to the original version, thanks to some cheesy bits that I discussed at my blog three years ago. What's more, the original version of the film is long overdue for a remastering as it is; the only edition of it on DVD, at least in North America, is a single-layer disc produced for the film's 25th anniversary in 1998. (The revised version was released on a dual-layer disc in 2000.)
But an even bigger potential problem lurks in the shadows here. What if the Blu-Ray contains not the second version of the film that was released in 2000, but some brand-new third version? What if it really is a version that we've never seen? There would certainly be a precedent for this: director William Friedkin caused a huge controversy earlier this year when he produced a rather ugly-looking version of The French Connection (1971) for Blu-Ray, and there's no reason to assume he wouldn't do the same thing to this film. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Will the Real Bilbo Please Stand Up
Other than impending litigation, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson have been doing a marvelous job keeping an information black hole on both real news and rumors regarding The Hobbit. Which is probably why I feel the need to mention this:
An Anti-Adoption Film?
That's how critics of upcoming 'Orphan' are responding
"Adoption advocacy groups are criticizing the soon-to-be-release horror movie Orphan for fueling harmful myths that could turn people away from the idea of adoption," reports The Christian Post.
The story continues: "A coalition of more than 50 orphan advocate and adoption organizations recently launched a national grassroots campaign centered around the website www.OrphansDeserveBetter.org. Through the site, the coalition aims to educate, dispel adoption myths and prompt response to the needs of orphans."
God, Gays, and 'Bruno'
Alabama youth pastor shares faith in new film . . . sorta
Cohen, best known for playing the title role in 2006's Borat, plays a flamboyant homosexual Austrian fashionista in his new film, in which he dupes many into playing along with his con game--including Jody Trautwein, youth pastor at Point of Grace Ministries in Birmingham.
Trautwein says he doesn't mind being the brunt of a joke as long as his message ends up in the movie: "It obviously turned out to be just deception and perversion, but the message in my heart is actually going to be shared with millions. It's turning out to be a positive thing. If nothing else, people will hear me sharing Jesus."
Facebook: The Movie
Every so often Hollywood comes up with an idea that sounds too harebrained, too ridiculous, too microscopically focused to be of any possible popular good.
If you haven't already heard, they're making a movie about, of all things, Facebook!
Christianity, Witchcraft, and the Movies
Mix 'em all up, and you've got the fast-growing Nigerian film industry
The film's fascinating trailer (at the end of this post) depicts a director laying hands on a camera and praying over it "in the name of Jesus Christ." One interviewee states that "the films have been taken over by born-again Christianity. . . . Nollywood has become the voice of Africa." Another says, "In a country like this, if you don't have Jesus, you can't survive."
Continue reading "Christianity, Witchcraft, and the Movies" »
Ctrl Z to become webisode series
Last week, I mentioned that a filmmaker named Rob Kirbyson is currently directing a family film called Snowmen for Mpower Pictures, the company created a few years ago by Passion of the Christ producer Steve McEveety. I also mentioned that Kirbyson, who happens to be a Christian, had previously directed a number of short films, including Ctrl Z (2007), which features Zachary Levi of the TV show Chuck in a supporting role.I learned afterwards that Ctrl Z is currently being spun off into a series of webisodes for NBC Universal, under the slightly shorter title Ctrl. Following in the footsteps of last year's sci-fi series Gemini Division, the new series will give prominent placement to a commercial product, in this case Nestea Red; in the original short film, a man discovers that he can manipulate reality using his computer keyboard after it has been hit accidentally by a football, but in the series, the man will spill a can of Nestea Red on the keyboard instead.
The series, like the film, is being written and directed by Kirbyson; there is no word yet on how many, if any, of the original cast members will be involved, but presumably Levi, at least, is rather busy with his TV show right now. The Los Angeles Times reports, via its 'Technology' blog, that Ctrl will be distributed this summer "through a variety of channels, including Hulu.com, cable video-on-demand services and a dedicated website."
God in a Rom-Com?
'Never the Bride,' by 'Ultimate Gift' screenwriter Cheryl McKay, now in development
Cheryl McKay, the screenwriter of that film, has written her next screenplay, Never the Bride, which has also been turned into a novel just released by WaterBrook Press. The film adaptation is scheduled to release sometime in 2010.
Gives New Meaning to 'Family Film'
Homeschool families pool resources to make action adventure epic
We haven't seen the film yet, but we have seen the trailer--and for a production made by amateurs, for so little money, it looks surprisingly good. It caught the attention of execs at Trinity Broadcasting Network, which broadcast the film last month and may air it again.
Chad Burns, 27, directs the film, and Aaron, 21, plays the lead role of Artos, a young man in A.D. 411 who feels he has been called by God to defend his people from the marauding Saxons.
"Our family seeks to inspire Christians to embrace God's purpose for their lives," says Chad Burns. Their film is being distributed in Family Christian Stores, and is also available to order online.
The trailer:
'Stoning' Actress Gets It Wrong
Aghdashloo makes false claims about stoning: 'nothing to do with Islam'
Spencer cites of few of Aghdashloo's comments in an interview with the Staten Island Advance, in which she says that stoning "has been happening since the Stone Age, in Judaism, Christianity, Islam." Spencer replies, "In fact, no," and goes on to state his case, showing where Aghdashloo gets it wrong.
Miley to Play the Teen Rebel Role
Cyrus to star in adaptation of Sparks novel; possible faith elements
Now Cyrus really gets to play the teen rebel role in her next film, The Last Song, a coming-of-age-drama based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, Nights in Rodanthe). The film, to be released in January 2010 by Touchstone Pictures (Disney's "grown-up" division), begins production this week in Savannah, Ga.
A recent press release from Touchstone describes the story as being "set in a small Southern beach town where an estranged father (Greg Kinnear) gets a chance to spend the summer with his reluctant teenaged daughter (Cyrus), who'd rather be home in New York. He tries to reconnect with her through the only thing they have in common - music - in a story of family, friendship, secrets and salvation, along with first loves and second chances."
Salvation? Hmm. We're intrigued. Another online description states that Cyrus's character remains angry about her parents' divorce three years after the fact, and is especially alienated from her father, "a former concert pianist and teacher [who] is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church."
A local church? Hmm, again. Sparks is a Christian, and so is Cyrus, so it'll be interesting to see what faith elements might be included here. Cyrus impressed critics with her acting chops in the recent Hannah Montana movie, but this will be her first chance to truly stretch herself into more dramatic range.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Inevitable Sequel
It was inevitable. Despite massive fan disappointment with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Steven Spielberg has apparently "cracked" the plot for a fifth movie and is "gearing up" to make it a reality.
Continue reading "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Inevitable Sequel" »
Newsbites: The fantasy edition!
2. The Hobbit director Guillermo Del Toro has confirmed that Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis and Hugo Weaving will all be back as Gandalf, Gollum and Elrond, respectively. Del Toro also says he is "very close" to announcing who will play the young Bilbo Baggins; the older Bilbo was played in The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) by Ian Holm. And while The Hobbit is being split into two films, Del Toro says he will not direct any so-called "bridge" film, i.e. a film that would bridge the gap between the two Hobbit movies and the three Rings movies. -- BBC Radio, MTV Movies Blog (x2)
3. A lawsuit filed by J.R.R. Tolkien's heirs against the studio that made The Lord of the Rings will go to trial before a jury as planned in October, now that a state court judge has turned down the studio's request that she alone should consider the lawsuit's claims. -- Variety, WENN
Newsbites: The medieval edition!
2. Ridley and Tony Scott are co-producing an eight-hour German-Canadian TV mini-series based on Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth; it will concern "the building of a cathedral in 12th-century England" and involve "war, religious strife and power struggles as well as two interwoven love stories." Rufus Sewell, Ian McShane and Donald Sutherland are topping the cast. -- Variety, Hollywood Reporter
3. Natalie Portman will play a "warrior princess" in Your Highness, the medieval comedy starring Pineapple Express co-stars Danny McBride and James Franco. -- Variety
Newsbites: The Pixar edition!
Newsbites: The religious history edition!
1. Benedict Fitzgerald's lawsuit against Mel Gibson and several film companies has come to an end, now that the two sides have reached a settlement, the details of which have not been disclosed. Fitzgerald had sued Gibson for allegedly underpaying him for his work on the screenplay for The Passion of the Christ (2004). -- Associated Press
2. Josh Brolin is thinking of producing a movie about John Brown, an abolitionist who killed several Southern slave-owners and tried to start a slave rebellion in the years leading up to the American Civil War; he was regarded by Abraham Lincoln and others as a "misguided fanatic" and he remains a controversial figure to this day. -- ComingSoon.net
3. Alejandro Amenábar's Agora premiered at Cannes a few weeks ago, and various critics, rounded up by The Daily's David Hudson, have discussed how the film casts certain fourth-century Christians, including St. Cyril of Alexandria, in a very negative light. The filmmakers themselves have talked about how their film portrays the philosopher Hypatia (played by Rachel Weisz, pictured above) as a martyr for science, but at least one observer has said that this is a distortion of the historical record. -- The Daily, Associated Press, Tim O'Neill
Continue reading "Newsbites: The religious history edition!" »
Halle Berry looking at a potential Surrogate
Last week, I mentioned that the pregnancy thriller -- currently being developed by director Paul Verhoeven, and not to be confused with the upcoming Bruce Willis sci-fi flick Surrogates -- is based on a book by Kathryn Mackel, a Christian novelist and screenwriter who worked with Winter on the film versions of Left Behind (2000) and Hangman's Curse (2003).
This week, Variety and the Hollywood Reporter revealed that Halle Berry, who co-starred in the X-Men trilogy (2000-2006) produced by Winter, is "in talks" to play the wife who is so desperate for a child that she turns to a surrogate mother, only to discover afterwards that the woman carrying her baby is insane.
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Avid for Avatar
After years shrouded in mystery, details about James Cameron’s Avatar (the director’s first film since the colossal Titanic) are finally leaking out.
Newsbites: The prequels edition!
1. A bunch of Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) fans got together and made a 38-minute short film called The Hunt for Gollum, the events of which coincide with the early scenes in The Fellowship of the Ring. It's actually pretty good for a low-budget, volunteer-based production; you can watch the trailer for it here, to the right. -- Entertainment Weekly, BBC News2. Sir Ridley Scott and his brother Tony are producing a "prequel" to the Alien series (1979-1997); the original film was, of course, directed by Sir Ridley himself three whole decades ago. There is no word yet on whether the prequel will take place before or after the Alien Vs. Predator movies (2004-2007), which are set in the present day, but those films are arguably non-canonical and thus don't matter anyway. The new film will be directed by someone called Carl Rinsch. -- Bloody-Disgusting (x2), Collider
3. Boom Studios will publish Die Hard: Year One, a comic-book prequel to the original Die Hard (1988) in which John McClane will be a rookie cop who "deals with a catastrophe during the 1976 Bicentennial celebration." Die Hard itself was based on a book called Nothing Lasts Forever, which in turn was written as a sequel to the Frank Sinatra movie The Detective (1968) -- but presumably this comic will have nothing to do with that earlier story. -- MTV Splash Page
Newsbites: The hiding-in-Canada edition!
2. Paul Gross is starring in Gunless, a comedy Western in which he'll play "a notorious American gunslinger who turns up in a rural British Columbia town" that has "no working weapons" and is "populated by sundry eccentrics." The film is currently being shot in Osoyoos, B.C. -- Hollywood Reporter, Globe and Mail
A Childhood Reimagined
Hollywood has always stolen from itself to keep the masses entertained. Remaking popular films is hardly new. The idea is that if it was a hot property once, it might be so again. In the early days of cinema, films like Ben-Hur were rolled over again and again.
But it seems that lately they’ve gone overboard. Or maybe it’s just that they’ve finally begun mucking about on my sacred ground.
Paul Verhoeven to direct a Christian thriller?
But an interest in Christian fiction isn't one of them.
Oh, sure, he has long wanted to make a movie about the "historical Jesus", and he has often discussed how the imagery in his films makes critical or subversive use of religious themes. And who can forget that pious member of the Dutch Resistance in Black Book (2006) who is reluctant to use his gun ... until he hears someone take the Lord's name in vain?
But nothing in Verhoeven's oeuvre would necessarily lead you to think that he'd be interested in directing an adaptation of a Christian novel, under the supervision of a Christian producer.
Continue reading "Paul Verhoeven to direct a Christian thriller?" »
Nine does not always equal 9
Another Post-Apocalypse Flick . . .
USA Today grants a "first look" at Denzel Washington in The Book of Eli
The Book of Eli, set in America after the apocalypse, stars Denzel Washington as a man with a mysterious book that might hold the key to man's salvation. USA Today brings us a first look at the film, with five images.
Co-director Allen Hughes told the newspaper, "This is the first time I can remember where it feels like America is, at its core, vulnerable. We're mortal. After 9/11, the reaction showed how thin that line is between order and chaos. It feels like we're at a boiling point. That's why these themes of redemption and salvation are so powerful now."
A Newt, a Pope, and a Doc
Gingrich making a documentary about Pope John Paul II's role in bringing down Soviet Union
Nine Days That Changed the World will release this fall under Gingrich Productions. Gingrich also discussed his conversion to Christianity with Gilgoff, saying the influence of popes JPII and Benedict affected him deeply.
Newsbites: The classic tales reimagined edition!
2. Jim Caviezel (pictured) will star in William Tell: The Legend, which promises to be a "fact-based" film that shows how Tell "challenged the Hapsburg monarch Hermann Gessler" and thereby "ignited an uprising against the Austrian government which led to the formation of Switzerland." It is not clear whether this is the same movie that was announced six months ago, under the title Ironbow: The Legend of William Tell, or a different movie altogether. -- Hollywood Reporter
3. Speaking of possibly rival productions, two different films based on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were announced in the last couple weeks. One, simply titled Jekyll, will star Keanu Reeves. The other, called Jekyll and Hyde, will star Forest Whitaker and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and will be directed by Abel Ferrara. But wait, there's more! Universal, the studio behind the Keanu Reeves movie, is also developing another version of the story with Guillermo Del Toro -- but he'll be so busy with The Hobbit and various other projects for the next few years, these other films will almost certainly be out of his way by the time he finally gets around to putting his own spin on this tale. -- Hollywood Reporter, Variety
Continue reading "Newsbites: The classic tales reimagined edition!" »
Passion producer making 'religion-inflected' Rwanda movie
acquired Immaculee Ilibagiza's religion-inflected autobiography, titled "Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust," that tells of the author's return to spend Easter with her Catholic family in 1994 when the Tutsi massacre took place.The film will join a growing list of movies that have dealt with the Rwandan genocide and its aftermath over the last few years, including Hotel Rwanda, Shooting Dogs (released in the United States as Beyond the Gates), Sometimes in April, A Sunday in Kigali, Shake Hands with the Devil and Munyurangabo -- the last of which was produced by a YWAM team and was released this month on DVD to Film Movement subscribers.The author witnessed a number of her family members killed. She survived by hiding in the bathroom of a Hutu pastor for three months, and attributes her survival during that brutal time to her faith.
Ben-Hur, Jesus, and water bottles
Today Vaughan posted this picture of a crew member lighting the actors who play Judah Ben-Hur and Jesus. I don't recognize the actor playing Jesus, but I wonder if this version of the story will show his face, or if it will merely show the back of his head, like the films made in 1925 and 1959 did.
Note also that the actor playing Jesus is holding a water bottle. That's kind of funny, since it looks like the scene they are working on is the one in which Jesus gives Judah a drink of water -- but presumably out of a gourd or some similar vessel, and not a plastic bottle!
Although, come to think of it, this wouldn't be the first film to show Jesus offering someone a water bottle ...
Weisz to play Lamarr -- and maybe Delilah too?
Star Trek -- at the box office, on the charts
As of Sunday night, the reboot had grossed $79.2 million in its first weekend alone -- which is better than all but three of the previous films did during their entire theatrical runs. But of course, they've been making these films for 30 years now, and ticket prices have gone up, up, up.
Perhaps, instead of looking at the raw, unadjusted dollar figures, we can get a sense of how well these films have done -- or haven't done, as the case may be -- by comparing the grosses for each film to those of other films that were released in the same year.
Continue reading "Star Trek -- at the box office, on the charts" »
Newsbites: The ancient characters edition!
2. Movies often seem to come in twos: two volcano-based disaster movies, two asteroid- or comet-based disaster movies, two Truman Capote movies, etc. And now ... two John Milton movies? Scott Derrickson has been developing a big-screen version of Paradise Lost for the past few years already, but now comes word that Martin Poll will produce an "indie version" of the Milton poem based on an otherwise-unfilmed screenplay that was published in book form in 1973. Two "unknown young actors" named David Dunham and Patricia Li Bryan have been hired to play Adam and Eve "as part of a multiethnic cast." -- Hollywood Reporter
3. The TV mini-series version of Ben-Hur now has a cast: Joseph Morgan -- no stranger to sword-and-sandals flicks, having played Philotas in Oliver Stone's Alexander (2004) -- will play the title character, while Kristen Kruek will play his sister, Emily VanCamp will play his girlfriend Esther, Ray Winstone will play his adoptive father, and Stephen Campbell Moore will play his treacherous former best friend Messala. Hugh Bonneville is also on board to play Pontius Pilate. -- Hollywood Reporter
Continue reading "Newsbites: The ancient characters edition!" »
Newsbites: The imaginary friends edition!
2. Russell Brand is set to star in a remake of Drop Dead Fred (1991). The original film "starred Phoebe Cates as a wallflower who loses her job and husband during the course of a lunch hour. Forced to live back home, she's reunited with her childhood imaginary friend (Brit actor Rik Mayall), who promises to help but causes more havoc." -- Hollywood Reporter
3. Leah Meyerhoff is writing and directing Unicorns, an "indie drama" about "an awkward teenage girl who escapes to a fantasy world when her first romantic relationship turns increasingly abusive." For the moment, I am assuming, based on this synopsis, that the "fantasy world" in question exists only in the character's head and has no objective Narnia-like reality. -- Hollywood Reporter
Vatican Newspaper: 'Angels & Demons' Harmless
L'Osservatore Romano calls upcoming film 'harmless entertainment'
It's not quite an endorsement from The Vatican itself, but Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano says Angels & Demons, which releases next week, is inaccurate in areas but otherwise "harmless" and not a danger to the church.
The movie, which had its world premiere in Rome on Monday, offers "more than two hours of harmless entertainment, which hardly affects the genius and mystery of Christianity," L'Osservatore's reviewer wrote. It's "a videogame that first of all sparks curiosity and is also, maybe, a bit of fun."
In a reference to Dan Brown's books, The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, the L'Osservatore writer continued, "The theme is always the same in both novels: a sect versus the church, even though the parts of the good and the bad are distributed differently. This time, with 'Angels & Demons,' the church is on the side of the good guys."
A Hollywood publicist working the film to the religious press sent an e-mail Thursday noting the differences between some Christian responses to the film and what the Vatican paper is saying now. Here's the entire body of that publicist's e-mail:
Ted Baehr of Movieguide in a fundraising letter on Angels & Demons: "A clear anti-Christian message that not only are Christians evil and murderers but also that science has proven faith in Jesus Christ to be outdated! In the end, it is the highest echelon of the Catholic Church who is the villain!"
The official Vatican newspaper review of Angels & Demons:
"Two hours of harmless entertainment, which hardly affects the genius and mystery of Christianity."
There's an old Irish saying, "when everyone tells you you're drunk, you better sit down."
I'm not familiar with that Irish saying, or even exactly sure what it means, but I'll simply reiterate what's been said by many: Angels & Demons is fiction -- no more true than Wolverine or Star Trek or Terminator Salvation, the other big fiction flicks releasing this month -- and as Christians, there's really no need to join the angry mob and yell that it's a "smear" campaign or that Tom Hanks is a "pawn of Satan." Nobody's forcing anybody to watch the movie, or even believe anything that's being portrayed. If it's not your thing, skip it. If it is, then enjoy it for what the Vatican's newspaper is calling it: "harmless entertainment."
Jesus is still standing strong. The Rock ain't gonna budge.
Angels & Demons & Prelates, Oh My!
Controversy escalates over the upcoming prequel to 'The Da Vinci Code'
We've already had plenty of lively banter between Ron Howard and Bill Donohue. Then we had some shmoe calling Tom Hanks a "pawn of Satan."
Now the Vatican has joined the fray, ironically without commenting.
Howard is saying that Vatican officials obstructed his efforts to shoot the film in Rome, saying he couldn't shoot scenes anywhere in the city with churches in the background.
"Was I surprised? No. Am I a little frustrated at times? Sure," said Howard.
A Vatican spokesman wouldn't comment, but apparently said enough to imply that Howard was just spouting off to "drum up publicity," according to the AP. That's a pretty feisty "no comment."
CNN would disagree, noting that the film is not drawing the Vatican's "ire," while quoting an Opus Dei priest as saying, "I don't think that anyone at the Vatican is paying much attention to the premier of 'Angels & Demons.' . . . I think the church's attitude has been, from the beginning, 'hands off.'"
Meanwhile, Tom "I'm Not the Pawn of Satan" Hanks told the German publication Bild, "I am a very spiritual guy. I do believe in God. We go to Church. My children are baptised. But I don’t know a lot about the condom ban. I have been happily married for 21 years!" Of Angels & Demons, he said, "It’s fiction but has amusing facts."
In India, Christian protests have resulted in a decision to show the film only after certain parts have been deleted, according to the Hindu News Update: "The Censor Board has assured them of deletion of some of the portions before release of the movie, which will also have a disclaimer saying that it is a work of fiction."
A work of fiction. Good to remember that, and not get too worked up about it. Eh?
Doug TenNapel + Hugh Jackman = Ghostopolis
The story centers on a man who works for the government's Supernatural Immigration Task Force. His job is to send ghosts who have escaped into our world back to Ghostopolis. When a living boy accidentally is sent to the other side, the agent must team with a female ghost (and former flame) to bring him back.This would be at least the fourth movie deal that TenNapel has made in the last few years -- Paramount has Monster Zoo, New Regency has Creature Tech and Universal has Tommysaurus Rex -- but this marks the first time that an actor has been attached to one of them, as far as I can recall.
Continue reading "Doug TenNapel + Hugh Jackman = Ghostopolis" »
Year One -- the set-visit reports begin
The main report at ComingSoon.net focuses on costumes, production design and the like -- though it also notes, without quite saying so, that the film seems to have shuffled the chronology and geography of the Book of Genesis somewhat. Describing what they saw in the city of Sodom, they note that the set included something that was "meant to represent the Tower of Babel," with scaffolding and extras playing slaves who are working on the tower's construction.
The individual interviews bring up some interesting subjects, too. For example, co-stars Jack Black and Michael Cera talk about how their improvising has been affected by the fact that they aren't allowed to use certain words and expressions that might sound too "modern", like "textbook" and "bathroom" and "dodged a bullet".
Continue reading "Year One -- the set-visit reports begin" »
Movie Hatch--New Social Site for Filmmakers
MovieHatch is a new website with a great pedigree. Billing itself as a social network for film people--professional and aspiring--you can upload your work and vote on other people's work. There are blogs and contests, pitching tips and news stories. Partners and judges come from Hollywood and Indiewood alike.
Sign up and let us know what you think in the comments below--does Hollywood need its very own Facebook?
Newsbites: The Marvel Comics edition!
2. But what does this reference to "pushing the storyline forward" mean? Will Wolverine lay the groundwork for X-Men: First Class? We already know that Wolverine features new actor Tim Pocock as a younger version of Cyclops, the laser-eyed character who was played by James Marsden in the original trilogy -- and in a recent interview, producer Lauren Shuler Donner said young Cyclops would be featured in First Class, along with young Jean Grey and young Beast: "It is the first class of Xavier's school, way back when . . . hopefully First Class will become its own franchise and we can follow them as they grow up." -- Comics Continuum
Tom Hanks: Pawn of Satan?
So says author in reference to 'Angels & Demons.' And the Donohue-Howard feud continues.
So says Mark Dice, author of The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction, of the movie star's role in the upcoming film version of Angels & Demons, based on Brown's book of the same title. A&D is a prequel to The Da Vinci Code.
Dice went on to say that "Brown's book, as well as the film, serves only as disinformation and a whitewash of the real Illuminati."
Dice is founder of something called The Resistance, which on its website calls itself "a conservative political and media watchdog and activist organization focused on preserving family values and upholding the Constitution of the United States."
Take Dice's words with a grain of salt. A loose cannon who also goes by the pseudonym "John Conner" (a la the Terminator saga), Dice has called the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. "an inside job" by the U.S. government. He has also demanded that demanded that Duke University change the school nickname of "Blue Devils" because it's "offensive to the Christian community." (No report on whether he has a problem with Wake Forest's "Demon Deacons" or Arizona State's "Sun Devils" or . . . Oh, nevermind.)
It's not the first attack on Angels & Demons. The Catholic League's William Donohue dissed the film, prompting director Ron Howard to respond last week. And now Donohue has responded to Howard's response:
"Ron Howard must be delusional if he thinks Vatican officials are going to like his propaganda - they denied him the right to film on their grounds," says Donohue. "Moreover, we know from a Canadian priest who hung out with Howard's crew last summer in Rome (dressed in civilian clothes) just how much they hate Catholicism. It's time to stop the lies and come clean."
Somehow, I don't think Howard is waiting in the batter's box to step up and take the next swing. But I also bet we haven't heard the last of this, either.
Newsbites: The '80s live forever edition!
2. Robert Rodriguez is developing a "reboot" of the Predator franchise called Predators. The original film came out in 1987 and spawned either one sequel or three, depending on whether you count the Alien Vs. Predator cross-overs (2004-2007) as part of the original canon. At any rate, 20th Century Fox has already given the new film a release date, namely July 7, 2010. -- IESB.net, Ain't It Cool News (x2), Variety, ComingSoon.net
3. Leonard Nimoy provided the voice of Galvatron in the animated Transformers movie that came out back in 1986. So naturally, the guys who've been writing the live-action movies want him to come back and voice one of the characters in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which comes out June 24. And since those guys also happened to write the upcoming Star Trek movie, they've had a chance to talk to Nimoy about this personally. What makes the whole thing even stranger and even more inter-connected is that Nimoy's wife, Susan Bay, is a cousin to Transformers director Michael Bay -- but the director says he hasn't approached Nimoy about doing the part directly yet; for now, he prefers to let his mother serve as a go-between. -- Sci Fi Wire, MTV Movies Blog
Continue reading "Newsbites: The '80s live forever edition!" »
WWJD: The Movie
Upcoming film based on classic Charles Sheldon book, In His Steps
Production by Nasser Entertainment begins in May, but no potential release date was given. The company specializes in made-for-TV programming.
The film will feature John Schneieder (Nip/Tuck, CSI, Bo Duke in TV's Dukes of Hazzard), country singer Adam Gregory, and Maxine Bahns (The Mentalist, The Lost Tribe).
The film will closely follow the story of In His Steps, following four individuals -- a singer, a newspaper editor, a wealthy philanthropist, and a minister who lost his faith - all vowing to walk in the steps of Jesus, with every decision based on the one question, "What would Jesus do?"
Joe Nasser of Nasser Entertainment said that when he was fighting cancer some time ago, the Bible and In His Steps brought him comfort.
Nasser writes, "I promised God if he thought he should heal me I would make the movie and spread the question WWJD? to as many people as possible. Well God healed me and I intended to keep my promise."
Odysseus without the odyssey?
It may not be quite what you'd expect, though. While Odysseus is best known for the ten years he spent wandering around the Mediterranean on his way home from the Trojan War, it sounds like the movie may skip all that and focus on the second half of Homer's epic, which takes place after Odysseus has arrived incognito on his home island of Ithaca. The Hollywood Reporter reports:
The story centers on the legendary hero Odysseus, famed king of Ithaca, who returns to his island after 20 years of fighting the Trojan Wars, only to find his kingdom under the brutal occupation of an invading force. Odysseus single-handedly defeats every last man and takes back his wife, his son and his kingdom. . . .The script is by Ann Peacock, who may be best known for writing an early draft of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005); and the director attached to the project is Jonathan Liebesman, who is currently directing the alien-invasion flick Battle: Los Angeles.The intent is to make not a sleepy swords-and-sandles epic but a bloody relentless revenge movie, something akin to "300" meets "Taken."
Incidentally, Warner Brothers is also behind that futuristic, outer-space version of The Odyssey that was announced six months ago, starring Brad Pitt. I wonder how that one's coming along?
Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw to play real-life evangelical couple
Newsbites: The biblical and religious edition!
2. The Catholic Bishops Conference of India has called for a ban of Angels & Demons, the upcoming sequel to The Da Vinci Code (2006). Meanwhile, director Ron Howard has written an editorial for the Huffington Post in which he says the new film's negative assertions about Catholic history cannot be "lies" because they are "fiction". (But they can still be negative, right?) And now word has come that author Dan Brown has finally finished the third book in the series, and the studio that produced the first two movies is already planning to make the third; the new book is called The Lost Symbol and it comes out in September. -- Hollywood Reporter (x2), Huffington Post, Variety
Continue reading "Newsbites: The biblical and religious edition!" »
Ron Howard Fights Back
Producer responds to Catholic League's William Donohue re: 'Angels & Demons'
No longer. In a measured but strongly-worded op-ed today in The Huffington Post, A&D director Ron Howard responds by saying that Donohue should essentially zip it till he sees the movie.
Howard writes that Donohue "is on a mission . . . to paint me and the movie I directed, Angels & Demons, as anti-Catholic . . .
"Let me be clear," Howard continues. "Neither I nor Angels & Demons are anti-Catholic. And let me be a little controversial: I believe Catholics, including most in the hierarchy of the Church, will enjoy the movie for what it is: an exciting mystery, set in the awe-inspiring beauty of Rome. After all, in Angels & Demons, Professor Robert Langdon teams up with the Catholic Church to thwart a vicious attack against the Vatican. What, exactly, is anti-Catholic about that?"
Donohue has written a booklet, Angels & Demons: More Demonic Than Angelic (available for a $5 donation to the Catholic League), which he said that A&D "details the myths, lies and smears that are made against the Catholic Church [in A&D]. It also provides evidence of the anti-Catholic animus harbored by those associated with the film.
"Author Dan Brown and director Ron Howard are . . . obsessed with Catholicism. It is not enough to criticize it - they are hell bent on demonizing it. It is not enough to drag out dirty laundry - they invent it. And the fact that they pay absolutely no price for their propaganda shows beyond dispute that anti-Catholicism is the one bigotry Hollywood likes."
"Mr. Donohue's booklet accuses us of lying when our movie trailer says the Catholic Church ordered a brutal massacre to silence the Illuminati centuries ago," Howard writes. "It would be a lie if we had ever suggested our movie is anything other than a work of fiction (if it were a documentary, our talk of massacres would have referenced the Inquisition or the Crusades). And if fictional movies could never take liberties with reality, then there would have been no Ben-Hur, no Barabbas, The Robe, Gone With The Wind, or Titanic. Not to mention Splash!
"I guess Mr. Donohue and I do have one thing in common: we both like to create fictional tales, as he has done with his silly and mean-spirited work of propaganda. "
Howard concludes with these words: "I know faith is believing without seeing (and a boycott would be disbelieving without seeing). But I don't expect William Donohue to have faith in me, so I encourage him to see Angels & Demons for himself. Then he will finally witness, and perhaps believe, that what I say is true."
Newsbites: The fantasy edition!
2. Speaking of The Lord of the Rings, each film in that series was released to DVD three times: once in its shorter theatrical version, once in its longer "extended" version, and once in a format that included both versions. Now it is time for the trilogy to come out on Blu-Ray -- and apparently the series will go back to square one, with a shorter-version-only edition; the "extended" versions will not come out on Blu-Ray until closer to the Hobbit release date. -- High-Def Digest, Digital Bits
3. 20th Century Fox has revealed that it will release three films in 3D in 2010. They have not yet said which films they have in mind, but one of their biggest movies that year will be The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, so some of the online speculation has pointed in that direction. -- CinemaBlend.com, NarniaWeb
Snippets: Saving Lives, Ice Castles, and More
A movie about making a difference in a teen's life, a remake of an ice flick, and more.
Remakes On Ice!: Not sure why it had to be remade, but 1978's Ice Castles is getting a makeover. Sony Pictures Worldwide will star newcomer Taylor Firth, a U.S. figure skating whiz who also just happens to be a Christian. Former skating champ Michelle Kwan will have a cameo in the film, which is scheduled to release sometime around the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Remembering the Martyrs: A new documentary, Malatya, tells the story of two Turkish Christians and a German missionary who were tortured and killed inside a Bible publishing hours in Malatya, Turkey, in 2007. Two of the surviving wives, who have forgiven the killers, both contributed to the film, which releases to DVD on Saturday.
Newsbites: The medieval and historical edition!
2. Showtime has renewed The Tudors for a fourth and final season; it will consist of ten episodes that "dramatize King Henry VIII's last two tumultuous marriages, to Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr." After that, series creator Michael Hirst plans to develop a series based on Camelot. -- Hollywood Reporter
3. Speaking of Camelot, the Cartoon Network is developing a live-action movie that will set the legend of King Arthur in the present day; it is tentatively titled Reborn. -- Hollywood Reporter
4. James Franco will reunite with Pineapple Express director David Gordon Green and co-star Danny McBride for the medieval-fantasy comedy Your Highness. The story concerns "two spoiled and arrogant princes" who are "forced to go on a quest to save their family and the kingdom" after "an evil wizard casts a spell on their father and kidnaps the older prince's fiance". -- Variety
Newsbites: The Terminator edition!
2. The ratings for The Sarah Connor Chronicles went up a bit a few weeks before the season finale, but did not pick up on the night of the finale itself. Some insiders say the show is as good as cancelled, now, but there will be no official indication of that until Fox announces its fall schedule May 18. -- Ace Showbiz, Hollywood Reporter, TV by the Numbers, Entertainment Weekly, io9
3. Thomas Dekker, who plays -- or played? -- John Connor on The Sarah Connor Chronicles, is in final negotiations to play a swim-team jock in the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. -- ShockTillYouDrop.com
4. A settlement has been reached in the lawsuit between Terminator Salvation producer Moritz Borman and his fellow producers Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek. -- Variety
Year One gets a PG-13 rating after all.
Now, says the Hollywood Reporter, the quasi-biblical comedy has been re-cut and successfully re-rated PG-13, for "crude and sexual content throughout, brief strong language and comic violence".
Note how the R-rated version only had "some" sexual content, according to the MPAA, whereas the PG-13 version -- the one with less footage, and specifically less of the "adult" footage -- has crude and sexual content "throughout".
No doubt this reflects how extremely relative the ratings process is, and how each rating brings a different set of expectations to the movie: As R-rated movies go, this one was apparently kind of mild, but as PG-13 movies go, it's right there on the edge.
Oh, and apparently "comic violence" doesn't even bear mentioning in an R-rated film, but when it turns up in a PG-13 movie, it becomes the sort of thing that the MPAA figures parents might want to know about.
The deleted footage will no doubt see the light of day on DVD, of course.
Newsbites: The time travel edition!
2. Disney has picked up Wouldn't It Be Nice, a family comedy about "a teenage couple who, just before they plan to run away together and pursue their dreams, are magically zapped 20 years into the future only to discover that their lives didn't necessarily turn out as expected. In their mid-30s but with teenage minds -- and dealing with three kids and everyday worries -- they learn that maybe they weren't as grown up as they once thought." If they are zapped into the present day, then presumably they were teenagers in the late 1980s or early 1990s -- so why is the movie named after a 1960s pop song? Oh, and question: If they discover that they weren't "ready" to be married after all, what will they do if and when they return to their original age and original time? Will they decide not to get married and have kids -- in effect, blotting out the existence of the three children that they had been dealing with for the bulk of the movie? I'm getting a certain The Family Man (2000) vibe here. Or, if you prefer, this movie could turn out to be the polar opposite of Back to the Future (1985). -- Hollywood Reporter
3. Groundhog Day (1993) director Harold Ramis says a stage musical version of that movie is in the works. -- MTV Movies Blog
Newsbites: The war movie edition!
2. Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer have bought the screen rights to Horse Soldiers, an upcoming book about "a band of elite special forces and CIA operatives who secretly invaded Afghanistan post-9/11 on horseback and helped Afghan fighters capture the city of Mazar-i-Sharif and topple the Taliban." This would not be the first time Bruckheimer, best known for his action and fantasy movies, has tackled this sort of subject matter; he previously produced Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down (2001) and acquired the film rights to a magazine article on 'Jihadists in Paradise'. -- Variety
Clash of the Schindler's List veterans!
Newsbites: The quasi-biblical (or not) edition!
2. The MPAA has upheld the R rating it gave to Year One, despite an appeal from producer Judd Apatow and writer-director Harold Ramis for something more lenient. The film, a comedy about a couple of prehistoric hunter-gatherer types who wander through the Book of Genesis, received the rating for "some sexual content and language." -- Hollywood Reporter
3. Warner Brothers has acquired Methuselah, an "action adventure" named after the biblical figure who lived to be 969 years old. The film itself will concern a man who "ages at a similarly slow rate and has used all the extra time to develop an incredible set of survival skills." -- Variety
Snippets: Baseball, Egypt, and More!
The best baseball movies, a controversial Egyptian film, and more.
Guideposts magazine has picked its list of the top five inspirational baseball movies of all time, and while their choices (including The Rookie and the original Angels in the Outfield) are good ones, I don't see how they could've possibly missed Field of Dreams, arguably the best and most inspiring baseball movie ever. Fortunately, CT Movies compiled the perfect baseball movie list several years ago. Check it out.
Controversial film: NPR reports that a new Egyptian film "is stirring controversy in the minority Coptic Christian community for its frank portrayal of the difficulty Christian couples face in getting divorced or remarried." According to the story, "a group of Christian attorneys tried to block [the film], arguing that it demeaned the sanctity of Coptic marriage."
Doorpost Voting Begins: Online voting has begun at The Doorpost Film Project, an annual short film contest. Check it out; I was a judge for this contest last year, and was very impressed with the high caliber of films.
Newsbites: The reimagined characters edition!
2. Emma Stone is in talks to star in Easy A, a modernized high-school version of The Scarlet Letter. The film "centers on a student who sees her life paralleling Hawthorne's heroine Hester Prynne after she pretends to be the school slut in hopes that she'll benefit from the notion she's promiscuous." -- Variety
3. NBC is developing Dorothy Gale, a modernized version of The Wizard of Oz. The show will follow "the story of Dorothy, a girl from Kansas who tries to tackle modern-day Manhattan (her version of the Emerald City). Dorothy finds a job in the art world -- and must deal with a wicked boss." -- Variety
Continue reading "Newsbites: The reimagined characters edition!" »
Newsbites: The Star Trek edition!
Note: There may be spoilers here if you have not yet seen any of the ads or read any of the recent prequel comic books.1. Paramount is so confident that the new Star Trek movie will be a success when it opens five weeks from now that they have already commissioned a sequel, to be produced and written by the same guys who made the current movie. They are currently aiming to release the sequel in two years. -- Variety
2. Paramount has released new trailers aimed at the action-movie and kid-friendly crowds, and the ads contain new images of pointy-eared babies and planetary destruction, among other things. -- TrekMovie.com (x2)
3. Some of my fellow Trekkies, incidentally, have complained that all the planetary destruction feels too much like Star Wars -- the Death Star and all that -- and not very much like Star Trek. But to that, I would reply that the villain in one of the previous movies, Star Trek: Generations (1994), wiped out not just planets but entire systems, and of course the original series included episodes such as 'The Doomsday Machine', in which the destruction of entire planets might not have been shown, presumably for budgetary reasons, but was certainly part of the plot.
Newsbites: The demons and monsters edition!
2. Paul Bettany, having played an albino assassin monk in The Da Vinci Code (2006) and the archangel Michael in the upcoming Legion, will now star in the horror western Priest as "a warrior priest . . . who turns against the church to track down a murderous band of vampires who have kidnapped his niece." Based on a TokyoPop comic book, Priest will be directed by Scott Stewart, who also directed Legion. -- Hollywood Reporter
3. The English subtitles on the American DVD version of the Swedish vampire flick Let the Right One In (above) are very, very wrong. -- Icons of Fright, Jeffrey Wells
Continue reading "Newsbites: The demons and monsters edition!" »
Newsbites: The Greco-Roman edition!
2. Coincidentally, Neil Marshall (The Descent, Doomsday) is already making his own movie about the Ninth Legion; it is called Centurion, and it is far enough into production that the filmmakers recently released a making-of video and a photo of former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko (above) made up to look like "a savage-looking Pict warrior woman". -- Empire, Rotten Tomatoes
3. Bond girl Gemma Arterton has been cast as the demi-goddess Io in the upcoming remake of Clash of the Titans (1981). Meanwhile, Cinesite has been hired to provide some of the "major creature animation" -- using computers, of course, rather than the stop-motion techniques that living legend Ray Harryhausen used on the original film. -- Empire, VFXWorld
4. Sean Bean will play Zeus, Kevin McKidd will play Poseidon, Pierce Brosnan will play Chiron, Uma Thurman will play Medusa and Melina Kanakerides will play Athena in Percy Jackson, an adaptation of the best-selling children's novel The Lightning Thief, which is set in the present day and concerns the half-human children of the gods. -- Variety, Hollywood Reporter (x2)
5. The Gotham Group is developing a film based on Steven Sherrill's novel The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break, which concerns "the mythical half-man, half-bull minotaur who was supposedly slain by Theseus 3,000 years ago and now lives a lonely life in a Wichita trailer park, making ends meet as a short-order cook in a rundown diner." -- Variety
'Blue Like Jazz' moving forward
Movie based on Donald Miller's book to film soon in Portland, Nashville
Donald Miller, author of the book on which the movie is based, blogged recently that director Steve Taylor (The Second Chance) is moving forward on shooting Blue Like Jazz the movie. He’s set to shoot in Mid May through June. We will be shooting in Portland and Nashville through the end of June. I couldn’t be more excited."
Miller and Taylor had hoped to get the movie rolling last year, but had to put the project on hold due to a lack of funding.
They've apparently got enough money to move forward now, though they're still seeking "associate producers" (at $99.95 a pop) to help defray costs.
Back to Miller's blog entry: "I’m skyping today with the actor who will likely play me. Unfortunately I can’t tell you who it is until we sign contracts, but we are both stoked on the choice." Miller and Taylor joke on the "from the director" video that Brad Pitt was the No. 1 choice.
Or was it a joke? If Pitt can age backwards in a movie, certainly he's got the acting chops to play a curious case like Mr. Miller. ;-)
Newsbites: The biblical and infernal edition!
2. Matthew Vaughn is looking at producing an adaptation of the comic-book series American Jesus, written by Mark Millar; the story "centers on the return of Christ in the modern world, leading to a final confrontation with the Antichrist in a bid to save humanity." Vaughn is currently finishing an adaptation of another Millar series called Kick-Ass. -- Hollywood Reporter
3. Universal has hired Dan Harris to write Dante's Inferno, a live-action film that will not be based on the poem by Dante but, rather, on the Electronic Arts videogame "in which players journey through the depths of hell." Harris co-wrote X2: X-Men United (2003) and Superman Returns (2006) and is currently attached to direct I, Lucifer. -- Variety
4. The first image from Lars von Trier's Antichrist has been released, and its depiction of limbs writhing and emerging from the dark, twisted roots of a massive tree has led to speculation that it may have been inspired by a silent-movie version of Dante's Inferno (1924). -- Jeffrey Wells
Is 3-D the Wave of the Future?
In an online story last Thursday, TIME magazine discussed the future of 3-D technology. It reminded me of a sit-down I had last December with a couple other critics in the D.C. area and 3-D evangelist Jeffery Katzenberg, one third of Dreamworks Pictures. Katzenberg brought a half hour of footage for Dreamworks' Monsters vs. Aliens, which appears in theaters this weekend. The 3-D rendering was amazing, but what was perhaps more amazing was Katzenberg's announcement that all future Dreamworks animated films will be made in 3-D. Katzenberg and others truly feel that 3-D technology has evolved to the point that in a decade or so, every film made will be in 3-D, finally fulfilling the prophetic utterances of audience-strapped studios in the mid-20th century desperate for any ploy to get people out from behind their television sets and back into theaters.
Sound familiar?
Newsbites: The historical and biblical edition!
1. Columbia Pictures has released a new trailer for the quasi-biblical comedy Year One, which opens June 19. (Slight warning: the trailer has just a wee touch of innuendo.) -- ComingSoon.net2. The first episode of Kings, the quasi-modernized version of the story of Saul and David, turned out to have even lower ratings than expected when it aired last Sunday, even after NBC moved it from its originally-intended Thursday-night slot. The rest of the first season has already been shot, so the network might as well air the remaining episodes, but it is open to question whether the show will be renewed for a second season. -- Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Nikki Finke
3. Rome star Ray Stevenson says the prospect of a big-screen follow-up to that TV series is "no longer a smoke and mirrors rumor. . . . From what I have heard, they are nearing the end of script development. We shall see." When series creator Bruno Heller discussed the possibility of a big-screen spin-off in November, he mentioned that the show would have dealt with "the rise of the messiah in Palestine" if it had not been cancelled, though he did not say whether the movie would go in that direction. -- MovieWeb
Continue reading "Newsbites: The historical and biblical edition!" »
Another Church Movie
'The One Lamb,' opening in 100 theaters, was produced by a small NC church
Other churches are following suit, making films of their own, including University City United Methodist Church of Charlotte, NC. The One Lamb, in production for three years, opens in 100 theaters and in 34 states on March 30. (Yes, that's a Monday, and not the typical Friday theatrical release. Perhaps they didn't want to compete with big budget blockbusters that open on the weekend.)
For what it's worth, the press release promises a film that depicts "an inspirational story of hope and redemption . . . [capturing] the elements of life transforming films such as Chariots of Fire and the recent Fireproof, telling the poignant story of the rise and fall of a promising campaign manager/lawyer . . . who is battling cancer and competes in the New York City Marathon as part of a personal spiritual rebirth. Although [he] is facing an enormous battle against the cancer rapidly destroying his life, his biggest struggle is the fight against the mistakes of his past. He is befriended by a cranky, retired pastor who helps find redemption for his past failures and hope for his future."
To see if it's playing near you, click here.
Just What the Docter Ordered
'Up' director Pete Docter still another man of faith at Pixar
Why is it that Pixar's creative wheels seem to be spin faster than everyone else's, that their wells of imagination seem to run deeper than all of their competitors? Perhaps it's because many of the company's principals are in tune with the Creator himself.
Andrew Stanton (WALL-E, Finding Nemo) has discussed his Christian faith (even with CT Movies), and we've heard that Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) is also a believer.
I was googling for info on Pete Docter, the writer/director of Monsters Inc., and now the director of Up, and found this interview with Radix magazine, done about the time Monsters Inc. released, in which he also discusses his Christian faith.
Docter was asked how having a child changed him as an artist, to which he replied: "Work-wise, I definitely see things differently. . . . As a Christian, having my son has made me even more amazed by the whole Creation, when I watch him grow and start to connect things in his brain. I say, 'That's amazing.' It leaves me speechless."
Asked how his faith affects his work, Docter said, "Years ago when I first spoke at church, I was kind of nervous about talking about Christianity and my work. It didn't really connect. But more and more it seems to be connecting for me. I ask for God's help, and it's definitely affected what I'm doing. It's helped me to calm down and focus. There were times when I got too stressed out with what I was doing, and now I just step back and say, "God, help me through this." It really helps you keep a perspective on things, not only in work, but in relationships."
Asked if he planned to ever make an explicitly Christian film, Docter said, "Not at this point. I don't feel so comfortable with that. Even if you have a moral to a story, if you actually come out and say it, it loses its power. Not that we're trying to be sneaky or anything, but you have more ability to affect people if you're not quite so blatant about it. Does that make sense? . . .
"To me art is about expressing something that can't be said in literal terms. You can say it in words, but it's always just beyond the reach of actual words, and you're doing whatever you can to communicate a sense of something that is beyond you."
Amen to that.
A Real Chick Flick; 'Narnia Code'; and More
Jack Chick in documentary; film unlocks Narnia's 'code'; 'C Me Dance' opens . . .
According to The Tallahassee Democrat, director Kurt Kuersteiner says the film has "taken on a life of its own . . . What was that John Carpenter movie (The Thing) where the head grew legs and ran off? That's what it's been like."
Producer Dan Wester says that Chick himself is "thrilled" with the film, which includes the tagline: "Can a comic book save your soul?"
BBC doc unlocks Narnia 'Code': The UK's Guardian reports that "C.S. Lewis included a secret code in the Chronicles of Narnia linking each story to a planet, according to a BBC documentary to be aired next Easter." The doc claims to have "uncovered the true hidden layer in the novels" and their "medieval cosmology, with each of the Christian and medieval scholar's books linked to one of the seven planets of the era's cosmology."
Hopeful 'Dance': A new Christian film about a young woman who loves to dance, but is now fighting for her life with a rare disease, says in its synopsis that "a wonderful miracle happens that causes Sheri to be able to bring people to Christ with absolutely no effort at all." Hmm . . . More: cmedancethemovie.com.
Newsbites: The sci-fi and fantasy edition!
2. Matt Damon is attached to star in The Adjustment Bureau, a sci-fi action romance about "a charismatic congressman who . . . meets a beautiful ballet dancer, only to find strange circumstances keeping their sparks from catching fire." The film is "loosely based" on a Philip K. Dick story. -- Variety, Hollywood Reporter
3. Director Alexander Payne and actor Paul Giamatti, who last worked together on the Oscar-nominated Sideways (2004), are teaming up again for Downsizing, a "social satire" about "a man low on money who decides he can have a much nicer life if he undergoes a process to shrink himself." The film will also star Reese Witherspoon, who worked with Payne on Election (1999). -- Variety
Continue reading "Newsbites: The sci-fi and fantasy edition!" »
Newsbites: The comics and cartoons edition!
2. Thanks to the recession, less theatres have installed digital projectors capable of showing 3-D movies than was expected even a year ago, and the first big victim of this slowdown will be Monsters Vs. Aliens, which opens March 27. A year ago, DreamWorks Animation said it expected there to be 5,000 screens capable of showing digital 3-D movies by the time the film came out, but last week, they admitted there would only be "in excess of 2,000". Another 4,000 screens or more will show the film in regular 2-D. -- The Wrap
3. Fox is developing a movie based on the comic strip Marmaduke, which concerns "a mischievous Great Dane". It is unknown at this point whether the film will be animated, live-action, or a combination of the two like Fox's previous Garfield (2004-2006) and Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007-2009) adaptations. -- Hollywood Reporter
Continue reading "Newsbites: The comics and cartoons edition!" »
Proyas Revisits Dark City
While he doesn't go into a lot of detail, director Alex Proyas (of the upcoming Knowing) has been guest blogging over at the superb SlashFilm and today discusses his seminal work, Dark City. If you haven't seen Dark City, I cannot recommend it highly enough. If there was a better sci-fi film made in the 90s, I haven't seen it. Proyas discusses some of the differences between the theatrical version (which he calls the "dumbed down" version) and his new director's cut. Click here to read the piece and here to read our own Peter Chattaway's take on the release.
Sodom (with or without Gomorrah) in Louisiana
The next movie to use these sets would not have to be a biblical epic, per se -- as reporter Alexandyr Kent notes, the city could be turned into all sorts of other places with a bit of re-dressing -- but certainly many films in this genre have cut down on costs by re-using sets that were built for other movies. My favorite example of this is Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), which was filmed in Tunisia on sets built for Franco Zeffirelli's considerably more reverent mini-series Jesus of Nazareth (1977). Who knows? Perhaps, in a reversal of that precedent, the Year One sets could be used in a more pious production somewhere down the road. But would the makers of that film admit to the link between the two films as freely as the Pythons acknowledged their debt to Zeffirelli?
The makers of even earlier biblical epics didn't have to deal with such questions very much, since they were less inclined to share their work in the first place. Cecil B. DeMille famously destroyed the sets for the silent version of The Ten Commandments (1923) and buried them in the California desert, lest anyone take advantage of his monuments and beat him to the big screen with a cheap imitation of his movie. And I have heard similar stories about the massive sets that were built for some of the 1950s Bible epics, too.
Newsbites: The sequels and remakes edition!
2. Terminator Salvation producer Moritz Borman is suing fellow producers Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek for fraud and breach of contract, and seeking $160 million in damages -- two and a half months before the film comes out. -- Variety, Anne Thompson
3. First there was Meet the Parents (2000), starring Ben Stiller as a man who has reason to be nervous about marrying the daughter of Robert De Niro. Then there was Meet the Fockers (2004), in which De Niro and clan get to know Stiller's parents, played by Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand; it went on to become one of the top-grossing comedies of all time. Now, plans are afoot for a third film, to be called Little Fockers, presumably in reference to Stiller's children. John Hamburg (Along Came Polly, I Love You Man) is working on the script, and the studio is talking to potential directors. -- Hollywood Reporter, MTV Movies Blog (x2)
Continue reading "Newsbites: The sequels and remakes edition!" »
Newsbites: The period-piece edition!
2. New Regency has bought the script for a film called Medieval, about which little is known except that it "plays like 'The Dirty Dozen' in the age of castles, plagues and serfs," and the studio "hopes to spin [it] as a hyper-realistic action movie in the vein of '300.'" More emphasis on "hyper" than "realistic", then, I'm guessing. -- Variety, Hollywood Reporter
3. Guillermo Del Toro wants to make "a Gothic-Western retelling of 'The Count of Monte Cristo,'" which may or may not be called The Left Hand of Darkness. -- MTV Movies Blog
Newsbites: The supernatural stories edition!
2. Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter movies (2001-2002) among other things, will direct Percy Jackson, based on the first book in the Rick Riordan series about a schoolboy who discovers that his father is the Greek god Poseidon. The story will revolve around the theft of Zeus's master lightning bolt, and it will star Logan Lerman, who played one of Mel Gibson's sons in The Patriot (2000) and Christian Bale's son in 3:10 to Yuma (2007). -- Variety, Hollywood Reporter
3. It's official: Dakota Fanning will play an evil Italian vampire in New Moon, the sequel to Twilight. Rumour also has it that Drew Barrymore has been approached about directing the third film, Eclipse; the first film was directed by Catherine Hardwicke, and the second film is being directed by Chris Weitz. -- Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly (x2)
Continue reading "Newsbites: The supernatural stories edition!" »
Imagining the deaths of people still living
In director Zack Snyder's "Watchmen," historical figures are depicted as existing in an alternate reality in which we won Vietnam, Richard Nixon was elected for five terms, and superheroes walk amongst us. And as much as I personally loved the movie, I'm also a huge film buff - so when I saw a very-alive American icon getting murdered 24 years ago on screen, I found myself struggling to comprehend the "Why?" "How?" and "Has this ever been done before?" of what was unfolding before my eyes.To answer Carroll's question, yes, this sort of thing has been done at least once before -- and at feature length, too, rather than just a cameo. I refer to Death of a President (2006), a pseudo-documentary that used archival footage and a few special effects to depict the assassination of George W. Bush."It's nothing against Lee; I think Lee's awesome," Snyder told me when I asked him about the scene, in which an actor playing Iacocca meets with superhero industrialist Ozymandias, only to be caught in the crossfire as an assassin tries to kill the crimefighting CEO. "But he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
The fact of the matter, however, is that the former Chrysler CEO and Ford President never met the fictional Adrian Veidt - and when I reached out to Iacocca for comment, he wasn't exactly thrilled about the details of his big-screen debut.
A spokesman confirmed that Iacocca had never heard of "Watchmen" until I called. The news of his depiction came as a surprise, and his office confirmed that they had never been approached by Snyder, Warner Brothers, or anyone else associated with the film - either to ask permission or to simply give him a heads-up.
When I explained that Iacocca is shown on-screen being shot between the eyes and killed, the phone went quiet for what felt like forever. The automotive pioneer's office has since attempted to contact the studio to secure a screening, DVD or even an explanation, but as of press time had yet to receive a return phone call.
I can't think of any other examples right now, though.
A God Among Men
We'll probably be talking a lot about Watchmen in the upcoming days and I really look forward to seeing what Russ Breimeier has to say about the film. I screened it several days ago and it hasn't let go of me since. One of the things that particularly struck me was the manner in which the film examined what it would look like if a god were to truly live among us.
In Watchmen, Dr. Manhattan stands in for Superman, the only superhero of the bunch to actually possess supernatural powers (some of which Superman could only dream of). Rather than hide in plain sight and devote himself to doing good for others as Superman did, Watchmen contends that a superman/god would be so far beyond us and have so little in common with us that he would actually feel the opposite of empathy - he would look upon this planet with as little consideration as we might look upon an ant colony. Dr. Manhattan has completely lost touch with his humanity and no longer cares what happens to Earth or the people on it. His heightened state has eradicated his compassion and perhaps even his soul.
It's a fascinating quandary and raises some legitimate meta-questions, particularly when viewed against the Judeo-Christian worldview, which believes the experiment of a God living amongst humans has already occurred. What made all the difference in that model? Could love for a thing also be tied to the creative impulse that gave it life in the first place? Something to think about...
Arrested Developing?
The happiest movie-related news I've heard all week comes via MTV, reporting that the long-rumored Arrested Development movie is really, truly, 100% DEFINITELY going to happen. For serious this time. Yes, I know, this project has been on-again, off-again pretty much since the day the show was canceled, but you know this report is true, because Ron Howard says it is. And he would never, ever lie.
And man, when this thing finally comes out, I'll be jumping for joy. In my mini-bio here at CT Movies, I say that the combined three seasons of Arrested Development are my favorite film of all time, and I'm only half kidding. I suppose picking a TV series as my favorite movie is cheating, but I've watched the series (yes, the whole series) more than I've watched almost any film ever made, save for a few long-time, sentimental favorites, and I care more about the characters in that series than any movie characters I can think of right now. The whole show is just a perfect blend of the heartfelt and the absurd, the satirical and the silly. It's great comedy that never sacrifices great storytelling.
Of course, if you've seen the trailer for the upcoming Land of the Lost feature, you know that TV shows turned into movies aren't always well-advised (see also the announcements of upcoming adaptations of The A-Team and Yogi Bear), but then again, some of them work out pretty well-- see the Serenity film. And since this particular franchise dropped some not-so-subtle hints of a feature film in its final episode, I'm trusting that the storytellers have been planning this for some time, and won't disappoint.
Newsbites: The science-fiction edition!
2. Battlestar Galactica co-executive producer Mark Verheiden will write Quatermain, about which little is known except that it is a "sci-fi adventure" that is "big, live action and would not be outside the wheel-well for fans of, say, Battlestar Galactica." -- Hollywood Reporter, Mark Verheiden
3. More details are beginning to leak out about Tron 2.0, which is currently being prepped in Vancouver. Among other things, the story will reportedly begin in 1989, and Flynn (the Jeff Bridges character) will have a seven-year-old son. Hmmm, the original movie came out in 1982, seven years prior to that. Who is the boy's mother, I wonder? -- Ain't It Cool News
Continue reading "Newsbites: The science-fiction edition!" »
WGA Strike -- One Year Later
WGAw Executive Director sent this letter to the membership on the one-year anniversary of the end of the 2007-2008 writers' strike. In it, he quotes Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ron Moore as saying:
In my opinion, nothing is as important as the issues surrounding digital delivery of content. Nothing. In the not so distant future, literally every piece of work ever done by the Guild will be available digitally. The systems and methods of delivery will vary and change, but the central truth is that all our work is going to be converted to ones and zeroes and sent to the consumer. We have to have a very clear, very solid method of tracking and being compensated for any and all work that is delivered in this way, whether it was originally created for TV or film or directly for digital distribution. To me, it is a strike issue.
I absolutely believe this to be true. A year later I remain convinced that the WGA scored a moral victory, despite the fact that the strike effectively ended my career as a rank-and-file screenwriter.
Newsbites: The Hasbro toys and games edition!
2. Goldner says the movie based on Hasbro's Ouija board will be a spooky horror film that tells people to be careful what they wish for, and it will ask whether the Ouija board is really just a game: "Half of the people that play Ouija as a séance think it’s just a game. The other half thinks it’s much more serious than that. So that idea, is this real or is this just sort of imagined? Is this something that’s done by the participants or is this something that’s really from beyond?" -- MTV Movies Blog
3. Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski is in final negotiations to direct a movie based on Clue. The board game was previously turned into a feature film -- with three different endings, all released to theatres -- in 1985. -- Hollywood Reporter (x2)
4. The title character in Stretch Armstrong, currently being written by Steve Oedekerk of Bruce Almighty and Kung Pow: Enter the Fist fame (he also happens to be a Christian -- Oedekerk, that is; I have no idea about Stretch Armstrong), will be a reluctant superhero. "Imagine a comedic way to get into reluctantly finding out that you now have all these powers, and what do you do with it," says Goldner. "Especially if people want to get their hands on those powers." -- MTV Splash Page
5. Amazingly, there was no new news this past week about the latest G.I. Joe and Transformers movies, both of which come out this summer.
Newsbites: The comics and cartoons edition!
2. One of the most acclaimed animated films of last year -- cinephiles as varied as Doug Cummings and Cartoon Brew's Amid Amidi have named it the best animated feature of 2008, and critics like Roger Ebert have also sung its praises -- is now viewable in its entirety online. Sita Sings the Blues tells the story of a Hindu goddess who is separated from her husband, and because it makes heavy use of 1920s jazz songs, the film has been lost in copyright limbo and unable to secure a theatrical release. -- Reel 13
3. Five clips from the upcoming Pixar film, Up, were shown at WonderCon 2009 in San Francisco, and they prompted an impressed Daniel Fienberg to say that the film should probably be titled "Pixar's Gran Torino". He says the film, which revolves around "a grouchy old widower" and a "friendly, obsequious Asian kid", should be able to "feed into that wave of Geriatric Chic" that made Clint Eastwood's latest film a surprise hit. -- Hitfix
Continue reading "Newsbites: The comics and cartoons edition!" »
Kingdom Come -- this week's update
Last week, it looked like the film was a goner: motel bookings were cancelled, construction crews were on standby, and some crew members had lost patience with the producers and begun taking other jobs.
Since then, the Dominion Post has reported that the filmmakers are still insisting that their movie will go ahead; they expect to secure bridge financing within two weeks, and they plan to resume pre-production in March for a start date in April.
But will anyone still be waiting for them by then? In addition to the crew members who have already bailed on the project, the Nelson Mail reported Thursday that some of the extras -- who were hired last year and have been letting their hair and beards grow long for the movie -- have given up hope and begun to visit their barbers.
Darryl Ware (pictured), who has worked as an extra in other movies, said he had never seen filmmakers be so bad at communicating with their cast and crew: "It's like waiting for the second coming."
Shake Hands with the Devil comes to U.S.
Dallaire, who was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 2005, was the model for the Nick Nolte character in Hotel Rwanda (2004) and has been portrayed by an actor in at least one other Rwanda-themed movie, A Sunday in Kigali (2006). His memoirs were also turned into a documentary, also called Shake Hands with the Devil, in 2004.
Dallaire battled suicidal depression after his stint in Rwanda, but he has said that his experiences there actually convinced him of the existence of God. In the intro to his book, he writes: "After one of my many presentations following my return from Rwanda, a Canadian Forces padre asked me how, after all I had seen and experienced, I could still believe in God. I answered that I know there is a God because in Rwanda I shook hands with the devil. I have seen him, I have smelled him and I have touched him. I know the devil exists, and therefore I know there is a God."
The later, dramatized film was directed by Roger Spottiswoode, whose credits include the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and the AIDS drama And the Band Played on (1993). I reviewed it during its original Canadian release here.
Voyage of the Dawn Treader gets a rewrite
Now, reports Variety, the next draft of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be written by Michael Petroni, whose credits include The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys and Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned.
Petroni reportedly got the gig because the folks at Fox were impressed with his rewrites of Kevin Lima's Afterlife and the Julia Roberts vehicle Daniel Isn't Talking.
Walden Media hopes to start shooting the film in the summer and release it to theatres sometime around Christmas 2010 -- five years after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe came out, and right around the same time Warner Brothers plans to release the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Newsbites: The comics and superheroes edition!
1. Marvel fans can rest easy! Samuel L. Jackson will be back as Nick Fury after all -- not once, not twice, not thrice, but in nine different movies, including Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, The Avengers and possibly an entire movie devoted to Fury's organization S.H.I.E.L.D. -- Hollywood Reporter
2. Iron Man director Jon Favreau has apparently indicated that Emily Blunt will not be in the sequel after all. Meanwhile, the filmmakers have sent out an "ethnically diverse" casting call, and a sneak peek at the first page of the script has fans speculating that the next movie will follow the 'Demon in a Bottle' storyline from the comics. -- MTV Splash Page (x2, x3)
3. The Spider-Man musical being developed by Julie Taymor and U2's Bono and The Edge now has a title and an official opening date: it is called Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and it will open February 18, 2010. Bono previously co-starred in Taymor's Beatles musical Across the Universe (2007), and prior to that, U2 contributed a song to the soundtrack for Batman Forever (1995), the score for which was written by Taymor's husband Elliot Goldenthal. -- Hollywood Reporter
Continue reading "Newsbites: The comics and superheroes edition!" »
The Dude Abides . . . and Other News
'The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers,' a Schiavo doc, & Phil Vischer's new venture
Our friend Cathleen Falsani, religion writer for the Chicago Sun Times and author of this terrific cover story on Bono for CT, just happens to be a big fan of the Coen Brothers too. And that just happens to be the topic of her next book, The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers, due from Zondervan this fall -- right about the same time the next movie from the Coens, A Serious Man, hits theaters (due Oct. 2).
Falsani, also the author of Sin Boldly and The God Factor, gives an early glimpse at the cover (at left) on her blog, also called The Dude Abides.
A Zondervan press release says the book "will look at the filmmakers' presentation of serious existential and theological questions using the dark, intelligent humor and epic storytelling that have been their trademarks in more than a
dozen films during the past 25 years. . . . Falsani will investigate the theological, mythological, moral, ethical, religious and philosophical content and what their overarching message -- their "Gospel" -- might be."
I've already been in touch with Cathleen about an interview to discuss her book and the Coen movies, so stay tuned . . .
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A new documentary, The Terri Schiavo Story, promises to reveal "previously unexplored facts of the case . . . through in-depth interviews with participants on both sides of the issue. Hosted by author and speaker Joni Eareckson Tada, who became personally involved in the case in 2005, The Terri Schiavo Story sheds new light on the controversial decision that led to the death of a 41-year-old disabled woman."
Read more about the film or purchase it on DVD at the official site, and watch the trailer here:
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VeggieTales founder, creative genius, and all-around good guy Phil Vischer has launched an online children's TV network called JellyTelly. The free network, which streams programming 24/7, is aimed at kids ages 5-11.
In an introductory video to parents on the website, after noting how many hours kids spend in front of the TV -- especially the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon -- Vischer says, "Is it any wonder that our kids are growing up knowing more about Hannah Montana than about the Apostle Paul? Or that they're more emotionally engaged in the outcome of American Idol than in the Gospel of Jesus Christ or the work of the church around the world?
"JellyTelly is a way to bring the Bible to life for kids on a daily basis, to show them the work of the church around the world and the role they can play in it, to teach their faith and what it looks like to live it."
If anyone can get through to children through the means of visual media and new technologies, it's Phil Vischer. May God bless this latest endeavor.
Newsbites: The people living in forests edition!
1. It turns out the rumours were correct: Cate Blanchett really will play Maid Marian in Ridley Scott's Robin Hood movie. The film, which stars Russell Crowe and was called Nottingham before it went through some extensive rewrites, "has evolved into a 'Gladiator' version of the Robin Hood legend. . . . Crowe plays Robin of Loxley in an origin story of Robin Hood that hews close to historical facts of the period. Abandoned as a child, he finds community with the common people of Nottingham. Robin's abandonment and trust issues hamper his ability to fall in love. He meets his match in Marian, a strong, independent woman." -- Variety, Hollywood Reporter
2. Eric Brevig -- whose last film, Journey to the Center of the Earth, was Walden Media's biggest hit outside of the Narnia franchise -- is going to direct the live-action version of Yogi Bear. -- Hollywood Reporter
3. Canadian actor Bronson Pelletier has reportedly been cast in the werewolf-heavy Twilight sequel New Moon. Meanwhile, series star Kristen Stewart is facing a backlash over suggestions that she regards Twilight as not a "great movie", but "just one that makes a lot of money." -- MTV Movies Blog (x2)
Scorsese Plans Japanese Martyr Flick
Tells story of a Portuguese missionary in Japan in early 17th century
Zenit reports that Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese is planning a movie on Japanese Christians martyred in the 17th century, to be released in 2010. Daniel Day-Lewis, Gael García Bernal, and Benicio Del Toro have been linked to the project, based on the book Chinmoku (Silence), by the Catholic Japanese author Shusaku Endo. The novel tells the story of a Portuguese missionary in Japan at the beginnings of the 17th century.
Newsbites: The comics and superheroes edition!
1. It may not have been nominated for Best Picture, but re-releasing The Dark Knight last month has paid off in one small way, at least: the film has finally raked in the last few pennies it needed to gross a billion dollars worldwide. Only three other films -- Titanic (1997), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) -- have passed this milestone. Interestingly, The Dark Knight is the only film in the all-time Top 20 worldwide that has made more money in North America than it has overseas. -- Variety, Hollywood Reporter
2. Mickey Rourke recently suggested that he might not be co-starring in Iron Man 2 after all, though the studio apparently still wants him for the film. This follows earlier reports that Emily Blunt might not be able to co-star in the film due to scheduling conflicts with another movie, and that "an economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world" might prevent Samuel L. Jackson from reprising his role as Nick Fury. Of course, Terrence Howard has already been replaced by Don Cheadle in the part of Jim Rhodes. Let's hope Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow stick around, at least. -- New York Magazine, Entertainment Weekly
Continue reading "Newsbites: The comics and superheroes edition!" »
Newsbites: The supernatural stories edition!
1. Several new items on the Twilight front: First, director Catherine Hardwicke said last week that she turned down the opportunity to direct the sequels because she would have had to shoot them on a low budget and an extremely tight schedule. Second, the sequel currently in development, once known simply as New Moon, has had its title expanded to The Twilight Saga's New Moon. Third, the studio has already announced a release date for the next sequel, The Twilight Saga's Eclipse; it will come out June 30, 2010, which is only seven months after the release date for New Moon, which, in turn, is only one year after the release date for the original Twilight. Finally, Chris Weitz, who is directing New Moon, will not be the director of Eclipse. -- Associated Press, MTV Movies Blog, Nikki Finke, Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Entertainment Weekly
2. The new version of Friday the 13th was such a big hit last week, it was inevitable that someone would try to reboot the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise too. And the man who has been hired to direct the film is Samuel Bayer, whose experience resides largely in the world of commercials and music videos; he helmed the video for Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', among other things. -- Hollywood Reporter
3. Paul Breuls is directing a romantic comedy called Meant to Be, about a guardian angel who falls in love with the woman he is protecting and tries to take her on a trip to Puerto Rico. -- Hollywood Reporter
Americans Are Pro-Communist!
Box-office statistics don't paint the whole picture
If you break down box office statistics in just the right way, you could conclude that American moviegoers care more about supporting communism and its causes than they do about widows and orphans and global poverty.
We could do that if we used a similar approach to the logic employed in this recent op/ed in the Wall Street Journal, written by Movieguide's Ted Baehr and Tom Snyder, who argue that "what succeeds [at the box office] is capitalism, patriotism, faith and values."
Baehr and Snyder base this on their analysis of "250 major films from Hollywood studios and independents for their social, political, philosophical, moral and religious content. . . . Once again, family-friendly, uplifting, and inspiring movies drew far more viewers in 2008 than films with themes of despair, or leftist political agendas."
Consider how statistics don't tell the whole story.
God and the Oscars
ReligionLink takes a brief look at spiritually-infused films
ReligionLink, which helps to keep journalists aware of stories with spiritual angles, writes:
"The 81st annual Academy Awards ceremony is this Sunday, and as always there are plenty of religious issues to provide a substantive backdrop to the red-carpet glam.
"Films have long grappled with questions of ultimate meaning, and this year's crop is no exception. Whether it's the more overtly religious Doubt, based on John Patrick Shanley's Broadway production, or the "life is beautiful" fantasy, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, there's a lot of potential here for out-of-the-box stories. Frost/Nixon explores moral ambiguity, and The Wrestler is a redemption tale both for the main character and for its real-life actor, Mickey Rourke."
CT Movies plans to blog away on Oscar night, so please come join the party!
Friday the 13th and other low-budget hits
For one thing, it scored the best opening weekend of any film so far this year. Its box-office haul ranks, in fact, as the best three-day weekend of any film since Twilight opened to $69.6 million in mid-November.
(Side note: The Christmas release Marley & Me opened on a Thursday, and it made $50.7 million by the end of its first Sunday; but its haul for the three-day period was $36.4 million. Friday the 13th was released on a four-day weekend too, since today is Presidents Day in the United States, but its estimated haul for the four days is only $45.2 million.)
Continue reading "Friday the 13th and other low-budget hits" »
Newsbites: The science-fiction edition!
Batman, Terminator, Gemini Man, TDTESS, and more
1. Will Chris Nolan make another Batman movie? Maybe, maybe not, but for now, Warner Brothers is staying on his good side by producing his next film, a sci-fi flick called Inception; the film is described as "a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind." So will it be sort of like Nolan's second film, Memento (2000), but with more special effects and chase scenes? -- Variety, Hollywood Reporter
2. Terminator: Salvation director McG may or may not be using Benjamin Button-style effects to put a young Arnold Schwarzenegger in his robot movie. McG says he is also talking to Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke about contributing to the movie's soundtrack -- but a Radiohead publicist says Yorke's involvement in the film is nothing more than a rumour at this point. -- MTV Movies Blog (x2), Entertainment Weekly
Continue reading "Newsbites: The science-fiction edition!" »
Newsbites: The all-female edition!
Blanchett in 'Nottingham,' 'Vicky' tops Woody's list, 'Eastwick,' and more
1. Cate Blanchett is reportedly set to play Maid Marian in Ridley Scott's Nottingham. Blanchett's fellow Aussie Russell Crowe will play Robin Hood and/or the titular Sheriff. -- Daily Telegraph, Variety
2. Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which earned Penelope Cruz an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress (she plays neither Vicky nor Cristina, but a third woman named Maria Elena), has nudged past Match Point (2005) to become Woody Allen's top-grossing film since Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), at least before inflation is taken into account. -- Box Office Mojo
A Pixar Tearjerker?
'Up' may have a few downs
USA Today reports that Up, the latest Pixar project due in May, takes an animated gamble with "a plunge into tearjerker territory."
"He can be a real jerk, but you still love him," Docter told USA Today. "Why is it so important for this guy to get to the falls? It needed that weight. I didn't want it to be just a fleeting thing."
USA Today reports that the potentially tearjerking segments include a "montage of their marriage [that] touches on themes rarely seen in bedtime storybooks: romance, financial hardship, a lost pregnancy, loneliness, and the blink-of-an-eye passage from childhood to wrinkles."
Wow. Pixar's films have always carried some weight along with their immense entertainment value, but last year's WALL-E was the weightiest of all, with its messages about greed, consumption, and stewardship of the earth. Might Up carry even more weight? Possibly, but not too much that all those balloons -- and Pixar's magic touch -- can't lift.
I can't wait. Sign me Up.
(photo from Disney/Pixar; Ed Asner voices Carl Fredricksen, and Jordan Nagai voices Russell)
Check out the trailer:
(If the video won't run properly, click here.)
The Biblical Origin of Movie Posters
Betcha didn't know that a flick about Jesus sparked the first one-sheet. (We didn't either.)
There's a cool new exhibit at New York's Museum of Biblical Art called "Reel Religion: A Century of the Bible and Film."
MOBIA's official website says that the exhibition "probes the fascination the Bible has exerted over filmmakers as different and distinct as Cecil B. deMille, Mel Gibson, John Huston, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Martin Scorsese. The exhibition features 80 rare vintage movie posters reaching back to the dawn of film in 1898."
That 1898 film was The Passion Play of Oberammergau, which actually sparked the very first movie poster. After a small flier proved ineffective for promoting the film, the promoters created a poster measuring 27" × 41" that became the template for the one-sheet promo we see in theaters everywhere today--with those very same dimensions.
A couple of interesting things about this first poster: It notes that the image is an "actual scene" from the movie, and makes a big deal that the film itself is "reproduced by means of 2554 feet of LIFE MOTION PICTURE FILM."
"Film is a recognized art form that has developed relatively recently," says Paul Tabor, MOBIA's Director of Exhibitions. "Not unlike painters, filmmakers from the outset turned to the Bible for emotionally powerful source material. The posters made to promote these films were often works of arts themselves."
We agree.
'I am Wiccan. It is my craft. It is my life.'
Is Harry Potter to blame for witches coming out of the (broom) closet?
This commentary from The American Daily surmises that Hollywood and "the media" have contributed to the rise of Wicca . . . especially singling out the Harry Potter books and films.
The Harry Potter books, probably the best-known books on Witchcraft, have cast a spell on children," writes Marsha West in a guest commentary. "Hollywood has used its movie magic to promote Witchcraft and alter the public perception of witches for years."
She goes on to note such fare as The Wizard of Oz, The Witches of Eastwick, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks from the big screen, and TV's Bewitched, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Charmed.
Perhaps such fare has made Wiccans more "mainstream," but it's debatable whether there's been much, if any, negative fallout for children.
Yes, debatable. So, debate away.
